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gridanian-red-mage · 8 months

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At the Bottom of a Mug

Summary

While the newly named Warrior of Light Arielle Solinar is running errands, her chocobo Mina catches wind of something that she thinks is worth investigating. Which leads them to a certain bard who doesn't quite have all of his wits about him.

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[Aaaand here's the first Arielle fic of several more that are to come in the future! (This one's a little long.😅) I actually have quite a few things written containing Arielle in my Word docs, so I'll be posting more of those here as time goes on and as I get further into the expansions. But anyway, this generally takes place before the move to Revenant's Toll, so roughly about 2.1-ish. I hope you enjoy!😊]

(AO3 version)

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“All right, so we’ve delivered that odd letter, took down some pests in the area, wrapped up that small squabble from earlier, and helped with another delivery for that nice elder,” Arielle listed. “Have I missed anything?”

Mina shook her head.

“Good. I would hate to have missed something.” Arielle sighed. “Having dealt with three primals in near succession and helped Alisaie with Bahamut for the time being, on top of the tasks we’ve just completed I think we’ve had quite the busy handful of days.”

A tired kweh.

“But we’ll probably have something needing our attention at the Waking Sands, so we can’t rest just yet today.”

Mina sighed.

“I know. I’m tired, too. But the faster we get there the faster you’ll be able to have some of those fruits I bought earlier.”

“Kweh!” The bird reared up excitedly to take off only to stop abruptly, cocking her head as she listened. She then made the chocobo’s equivalent of a confused expression.

“Something wrong?”

Mina chirped to confirm before gesturing not too far ahead of them.

“The Coffer and Coffin?”

“Kweh!”

“Lead the way, then.” As Mina headed off, Arielle began to ponder. She combed through her recollections of everyone they had helped just recently, carefully going over what she had been asked to do and where she had needed to go. She even retraced her steps from a few days ago. But as far as she knew they had done everything that was asked of them. “Are you sure we haven’t forgotten anything?”

“Kweh!”

Arielle hummed. “All right. If you say so.”

A few minutes later they had arrived, and she dismounted before leading Mina to a spot off to the side. Glancing around, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, nor did anyone seem distressed. But Mina usually had a good sense of her surroundings, so she didn’t really have much of a reason to wave Mina off.

Upon heading inside, Arielle could see that business was just about as typical as could be. Patrons were behaving as . . . they usually did in a place like this, and—

Wait. Almost immediately she recognized one of the men at the bar. “Thancred?”

Surrounded by at least four women and enough mugs for her to know it was far too many (even if they probably weren’t all his), was the man himself—getting very tipsy giggles out of the women with a slurred quip.

“Arielle!” Thancred practically beamed. “Wond’ful t’see you, as always!”

“How long have you been here?”

“No’ long at all. In’t that righ’, ladies?” At least three of the women burst into giggles.

“An’ jus’ who’re you s’posed t’be?” the fourth woman, an Elezen, questioned.

“Someone who is taking him home,” Arielle replied. Thancred reached for another mug only for her to take it out of his reach. “I think that’s enough for now, Thancred.”

“Ever th’stern one,” he joked, right before hiccupping. That pulled a sigh out of her.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“We were here first!” one of the women whined. “Especially me!”

“He’s, um . . . a very busy man and has many things left to do,” Arielle explained.

“He’ll be too busy to leave once I get him alone!” another woman replied, giggling afterwards.

“Well . . . he’s. . . .” Think, Arielle. Think of something to ward them off. She straightened up. “He’s been especially busy with me recently.”

All four women made an assortment of disappointed noises loud enough to turn some heads, making Arielle wince.

“I knew he was too good to be true!” a Miqo’te woman sobbed.

“Ladies, please,” Thancred tried to assure. “Thr’s plenny o’ me t’go’round.” Another hiccup.

Arielle tried not to cringe. “Of course there is.” Three of the women in the group pouted in various ways while the Miqo’te continued to sob. “I suggest the four of you find other suitors elsewhere.” But before the women could protest, the bartender stepped in.

“Go on, ye heard the lass. I won’t be havin’ any fights ‘round here, especially a cat-fight.”

“Ahh ’Shtola—as pow’ful asshe isss rad’nt,” Thancred declared as the women shuffled off.

“Yes I completely agree,” Arielle said. She turned to the bartender. “You have my thanks, Roger.”

“Don’t mention it,” Roger said before sighing. “Sod’s been ‘ere for bells. At first he was mutterin’ into his mug all serious-like—”

“I w’s not muttering,” Thancred argued. Another hiccup.

“But seein’ as how it was his business I let ‘im be. An’ before long, one mug led to countless others, an’ now he’s in a right mess. I suggest ye take ‘em to the closest inn ‘round here.” He leaned in. “Between you an’ me, I think he needs someone to talk to.”

“Thank you,” Arielle said.

“Y’really should res’ ev’ry now ‘n then,” Thancred said.

“So says the man who overworks himself.” She began to help him up. “Come on. You’ve been alone long enough.”

“I c’n walk jussf’ne, Arielle Solinar.” Another hiccup, making Arielle frown.

“How much did he spend?”

“Don’t ye worry ‘bout that,” Roger replied.

“Roger—”

“Yer friend’s more important than the coin.”

“At least let me pay for half.”

The man sighed. “Fine. Half, an’ that’s it.”

Arielle handed over the amount before taking her leave, and she could feel a few pairs of eyes on her. Once they were outside, Thancred squinted at the change in lighting, and Mina kweh’d cheerfully only to cut herself off. Upon noticing his current state, she gave a curt but concerned look.

“Ih seems Mina’s unhappy t’see me thi’ time,” he said. “I s’posed I must’ve u’set ‘er.”

“She’s just worried about you. We both are.”

“I’ma grown man, Ar’elle. I c’n handle m’self.” Mina made a noise of concern before lowering herself down. “Riding u’ fron’ fer once, I see.”

“Mmhmm.” Arielle positioned Thancred before mounting herself, making sure she had her arms around him just securely enough.

“Care t’tell me where we’re goin’?” He tipped to the side a bit, and Arielle readjusted him.

“The Quicksand. Or at least the Hourglass. I’ll not be letting you go back to the Waking Sands like this.”

“ ‘T’will be good t’see M’modi again.”

“And I’m sure she will be happy to see you as well.” Arielle could already picture the woman chiding him should she manage to spot them. “Easy now, Mina.” She shook the reins, and Mina went off at a steady pace.

“I’ve had many a w’mn witheir arms ‘round me, m’ny ‘o them not quite as fair as you.”

Arielle held back a grimace. “Yes I’m . . . very much aware of the women you’ve charmed.”

“I do r’m’ber a Miqo’te th’was very frisky, whish remns me of an’ther exceptionally fair lady ov’at. . . .”

She half listened to him while occasionally keeping him upright, making sure to give short replies every now and then to appease him. She knew she had made sure to check on him during his recovery from his possession alongside the others, and every time he would assure them that he was fine and merely needed some rest. Then he was finally returning to his duties, and she had gently reminded him to take it slow.

He takes so much responsibility for so many things. . . .

“. . . an’ oh th’r’ther tall woman fr’m Limsa—v’ry fr’ward in’er adv’nces.” Another hiccup.

I really hope he doesn’t do this again. . . .

~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, after several subject changes and mood swings that thankfully did not include anything too extreme, they had crossed the Gate of Nald and arrived at Ul’dah. Thancred had eventually fallen silent only minutes beforehand, and Arielle wondered if he had either exhausted himself or was stewing. In fact she wasn’t exactly sure which was worse.

The sun had already started its descent, so it was likely that the Quicksand and the Hourglass would be busy. Assuming he didn’t decide to talk to every person inside, they could just slip right in and find a room.

I really hope there are some rooms available.

“I’r’mber f’nding you here,” Thancred mentioned. “St’ndin’ up fer tha’ woman. . . .”

“It was the right thing to do,” Arielle replied. “I couldn’t let her be treated like that.”

“. . . You’ve a good hear’ Ar’elle.”

“And so do you.” The trio arrived at the Chocobo Station, and Mina lowered herself to let Arielle help Thancred off.

“Good evening. Rough day, eh?” the Chocobokeep inquired.

“Somewhat.” Mina gave a greeting to the Keep.

“And a good evening to you, too.”

She sighed at Thancred hiccupping again.

“Thancred!” two women cooed as they waved.

“Ladies!” Thancred practically beamed into Arielle’s ear as the women came up to them. “How l’ng’s it been?” But before the women could say anything else, Mina loudly and testily kweh’d at them, making them jump. “Mina, be nice to—”

She repeated the noise, successfully scaring the intruding duo—or at least to her they were intruding. And when they looked over their shoulders, she ruffled her feathers with a curt noise as if in warning.

Thancred sighed. “Som’t’mes I wonder if Mina wans me all t’herself.”

The Chocobokeep blinked a few times while Arielle laughed awkwardly, and he cleared his throat. “J-just for the night, miss?”

“Two nights, actually—in case we need the extra rest,” Arielle replied, and Mina gently nuzzled her and Thancred as if she had not just scared off two passersby. “Good night, girl. Be good for me, all right?”

With a quiet kweh Mina nudged the pack on her saddle with the fruit inside.

“All right, hold on.” Arielle glanced between Thancred and Mina in thought before having him lean on the bird.

“I’c’n stan’ b’m’self, you know,” Thancred argued.

“Frankly not,” the Chocobokeep muttered, but was quickly silenced by Mina’s hard look. She adjusted herself accordingly to properly support Thancred as Arielle fed her a couple fruits. Afterwards she nudged the pack again with a chirp.

“I’ll give you some extra ones in the morning, but right now Thancred needs to be looked after,” Arielle promised. Mina seemed to contemplate for a few moments before giving an agreeable kweh, and Arielle scratched the bird’s chin. Once things were settled, she continued their journey on foot. “We’re almost there, Thancred.”

“You h’ve m’c’mplete trus’,” he replied, hiccupping mid-sentence.“An’ you b’sure to let Mina know th’same.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

It wasn’t long before they entered the Quicksand, and Arielle readjusted Thancred to make him seem as normal as possible. As she expected, Momodi was already occupied with quite a few patrons and then some. A few adventurers Arielle had helped out once or twice waved to her, and she waved back, although she winced once Thancred decided to again yell into her ear unintentionally.

“Momodi! Rad’nt an’ fair as always!” he announced, every pair of eyes in the room now on them, including Momodi’s.

Nophica help me, here it comes. A nervous grin worked its way through as Arielle appeased his apparent desire to speak to Momodi. And hoped she didn’t regret her decision.

The Lalafell placed her hands on her hips. “And hello to you too, Thancred.” She let out a sigh. “All right, where’d you find him?”

“Central Thanalan,” Arielle said.

“Coffer an’ Coffin, I wager?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for Mina I would’ve likely passed right by him.”

“Good bird, she is. But anyroad, I’ll leave you to keep an eye on this one, then. Should be a couple o’ rooms available over at the Hourglass.”

“Thank you. And, um, if . . . anyone asks for Thancred or me, please don’t say anything. I know he’ll send a few people into worry with how he is now.”

“Mum’s the word. Now go on an’ get him some rest.” Arielle nodded.

“C’m now shurely we could spare a mom’nt to—”

“I’m doin’ you a favor, Thancred. Can’t have you embarrassin’ yourself any further.” The duo then made their way over to the innkeeper (or rather Arielle tugged Thancred along before he could say anything else).

“Good evening,” she greeted. “I was told you had some rooms available.”

“Indeed we do,” the innkeeper replied. He glanced between the two of them. “How long will you be staying?” The arrangements were made for at least a couple of nights, and the two were finally able to step away from any more curious eyes.

Arielle closed the doors to their room with a brief sigh. “Are you all right? Do you feel ill?”

“‘M fine, Ar’elle,” Thancred said, leading her to frown. Upon being led to the bed, he unceremoniously plopped onto it.

“Try not to move, all right?”

“O’course, Miss S’l’nar.”

Moving aside the book and quill on the table, she began to place her smaller weapons onto it, keenly aware of Thancred’s gaze. She let out a breath as she removed her very well-used gloves, flexing her fingers for a bit. She supposed she was due for a new pair, but that was a problem for another time. Her current ones could last her a bit longer until then. After all, they have lasted her a pretty long time.

“Y’should be th’one to claim th’bed. I’ss only proper.”

“I’ll be just fine.” Her mind drifted to what she had asked of Momodi. Tataru’s probably worried. It is getting late. . . . “I’m stepping out for a bit, so don’t move.”

“Aye!”

Arielle left the room, leaving the doors open a crack as she made use of her linkpearl. And it barely took a minute before her call was received.

“Arielle?” Tataru asked.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Oh, thank the Twelve! I was beginning to think something had happened to you! Is Thancred with you? He said he had ‘another matter’ to see to before he continued with his work, but I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Yes, but he’s . . . in an odd state, to say. He’s not hurt, but we won’t be returning to the Waking Sands until tomorrow, the day after at the most.”

“. . . He overdid it, didn’t he?”

“. . . Somewhat. Mina and I found him in Central Thanalan. With company.”

Tataru sighed. “And here I was thinking he was in trouble. . . .”

Arielle peeked through the crack, and Thancred was now more or less laying properly on the bed save for one leg hanging off the edge entirely. I think I prefer this kind of trouble over the other kind. “I’d rather the others not begin to worry, especially Minfilia, so. . . .”

“Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Thank you.” Once the two disconnected, Arielle entered the room.

“I’ma right messs, ar’nt I?” Thancred said after a couple moments.

“As of right now, somewhat.”

He sighed a bit loudly. “T’think I could cont’nue to b’in such a state. . . .”

“You have not continued to be a mess. You’ve been strong and supportive.”

“It’s ne’er enough,” he retorted instantly. “I’m never enough to acc’mplsh what needs to be acc’mplishh.”

“Yes, you are, and I’ll not have you thinking this way.”

Thancred snorted. “I’m supposed to be f’ster than the enemy. T’keep Minfilia an’ th’others safe. An’ I’ve left you to burn before Ifrit more than once.”

Arielle furrowed her eyebrows. “More than—” She stopped herself as she remembered talking to him at the Waking Sands. She knew she had seen a trace of remorse in his eyes after he had told her about Ifrit’s return. “We’re all safe, and you did not leave me to burn. You—”

“Arielle can’t you understand that had you not held the Echo you would have been put to death with the others?! A kind woman whom I’ve dragged into nothing but countless trials and near death!”

Her fingers curled, and she found herself avoiding his unfocused but tormented eyes. He was right, and she knew it. Without the Echo, she would’ve been tempered like the rest of the people with her and put to death. “. . . Neither of us could have predicted what would’ve happened. But I would not have put someone I felt was a good person at fault, regardless of only having known you for a short time then. So . . . I do understand.”

“Frankly I don’t think you do.”

“And frankly, I think I do, Thancred Waters.”

“Really? And what of all the suffering I caused—”

“While you were not yourself. No one faults you for anything you did. It was Lahabrea who did all of those things. And I most certainly do not blame you for supposedly ‘leaving me to burn’ and any other troubles you think you yourself have caused.”

He let his head hang, and she leaned forward a bit to keep within his line of sight.

“You are a good man, Thancred, and you strive so hard to protect those around you. Sometimes too hard. But I would not have any other person for a friend.”

He chuckled to himself, albeit bordering on a slurred snort. “‘F’I didn’t know any better I’d say you were a bard, putting m’el’quent words t’shame.”

“I meant every word.”

“You always do.” He tilted toward her, and she caught him before sitting him upright. “’M a mess. . . .”

Arielle resisted a frown. “Try to get some rest.”

Thancred sluggishly situated himself as she rose. Undoing her hair, she ran her fingers through it before settling onto the floor. And when she glanced to him, he was already asleep.

I wonder if I’ll be able to find some tea for him in the morning. I think the brew I have in mind should help with any lingering grogginess he should have.

She fingered the pendant of her necklace, wondering if he would remember anything that had happened within the past small handful of bells. At best he would likely have foggy bits here and there—or so she assumed. I suppose only time will tell.

~ ~ ~ ~

Thancred had still been asleep even after she had gotten ready for the day and requested the tea for him. She had expected the knocking to rouse him, but it would seem his sleep was deep this time—which probably should’ve been expected. And he hadn’t shifted positions at all, so she deemed it safe to assume he wasn’t going to remember much of the previous night.

As she prepared the tea, she briefly glanced to him. Assuming he didn’t feel sick to his stomach, he would likely need something in it, obviously. Of course, she knew he was probably going to want to throw himself back into his work, but not if she had any say in that. Besides, she had given him another day to rest, so he’ll probably at least accept that.

Fruit should be fine for him for now. And for Mina. I did promise her extra. . . .

Once she was finished, a groan brought her attention back to him, and it was followed by a louder groan and him massaging his temples.

“Where. . . ?” Thancred rolled onto his back and draped his arm over his eyes, attempting to clear his mind and block the sunlight flooding in from the window for a few moments before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Registering the bed he was on, he sat up as quickly as he could, ignoring the wave of dizziness that hit him. He looked around the room for a bit in confusion before his eyes finally landed on Arielle, and immediately dread flashed across his face. “Oh gods—!”

“No no no no, you’re fine!” Arielle quickly assured.

“Agh, not so loud, please!”

She winced. “I’m sorry.” She watched him miserably swing his legs over the edge with a groan.

“Please tell me I did not do what I think I did.”

“You didn’t. I brought you here after Mina and I found you.”

He sighed in relief. “Thank the Twelve. . . .”

She studied him for a bit. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, my head is pounding, but I seem to be well enough.” He sighed again. “You’ll have to excuse my . . . less-than-gentlemanly behavior. I’m sure I was an absolute fool.”

“Well . . . um . . . I’m sure it could have been worse.”

“That does not give me any sort of comfort.”

Arielle frowned. “Well you were certainly very talkative. And moody. And . . . surrounded by women. But I managed to shoo them off.”

“Ah. I think I remember some displeased voices, although the memory is a bit muddled.”

Arielle briefly glanced down. “Why did you go off on your own like this?”

He hunched over, resting his elbows on his knees and trying not to squint. “To be honest, it was never my intention. But, when one’s mind wanders to less than cheery thoughts, it’s almost all too easy to drown it all away.”

She frowned again. “. . . You still feel at fault. . . .”

He didn’t answer her for a few moments, barely recalling himself lashing out and kicking himself. “. . . If you were in my place, wouldn’t you?”

Arielle briefly closed her eyes. “. . . I think I would. And I know you would tell me the same things that I’ve said to you. The others would likely agree with me. But I know that I cannot imagine the torment you must have endured while Lahabrea had your sense of self in his grasp.” She frowned. “I wish we had found out sooner. . . .”

“Then, I suppose you would expect hearing your own words coming from me, Arielle Solinar.”

“I think I would, Thancred Waters.”

He gave her his usual smile, and his eyes caught the tray of tea behind her. “I suppose that’s rather cold by now.”

“Oh!”

“Agh!”

“Sorry.” Arielle went to give him his cup. “I thought it would help clear your head of any remaining drowsiness. It should still be warm, I think.”

Thancred took a small sip. “And you are correct. You have my thanks.”

“It’s not too strong, is it?”

“Actually, no. It’s perfect.”

“Good.” The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Thancred trying not to wince at the clinking of the cup and saucer as well as the sunlight coming in from the window (and why it did not have any godsforsaken curtains was beyond him).

“This has an odd taste to it.”

“It’s good for you.”

“Is it supposed to be musty?”

“Yes, now drink while it’s still warm.”

Thancred refrained from grumbling as he did as told. She’s like a mother hen.

A few more minutes of silence went by, and he was beginning to taste another odd flavor in the tea. But he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“Thancred.”

He looked to her.

“If there is anything you need from me, or if there is something bothering you, call upon me. It doesn’t matter what I may be doing or what time it may be or if you think you would be a bother. I want you to lean on me, or if not me, then one of the others. We’re friends.”

“The same goes for you. But, I will try to remember that.”

Arielle smiled at him. “But we won’t be setting a single foot outside this room until you are absolutely well.”

“Arielle—”

“Thancred.”

“There are things that—”

“And I’m aware of them and have also let Tataru know that we won’t be back until today or tomorrow. Everything’s taken care of.”

Thancred frowned. He hated to admit it, but powering through his blasting headache and his temporary oversensitivity to light and sound wasn’t the best idea. He wouldn’t want to worry everyone any further, especially Arielle given what she had already done for him yesterday. “There is no arguing with you, is there?”

“No, there is not.”

He sighed in defeat. “All right. I’ll be staying put, but that includes you as well. It’s only fair since you are in such high demand nowadays.”

“. . . Fair enough.”

“And, some curtains would be lovely.”

Arielle glanced to him partially squinting and then the window. Ah, right. He’s a bit sensitive to light now. “Well I’m no weaver, but I’ll see what I can do.”

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV #ARR #A Realm Reborn #FFXIV Wol #Thancred Waters #Momodi Modi #Tataru Taru #Alisaie Leveilleur #Minfilia Warde #FFXIV fics #Arielle Solinar #Mina the chocobo #Red Mage Fics #Minfilia and Alisaie are only mentioned but I'll tag them anyway.#I've never written a drunk person before. T-T #So there may be some errors in this that I'll probably fix later.#On another note I'll eventually be making a writing master list in the future that I'll be linking to in my pinned post.

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mrs-theirin · 2 years

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pov: you have two seconds left to live before the 233 year old milf fucks your shit up

i commissioned the wonderful, the brilliant, the TALENTED @kirnet to draw my sole survivor, eliza hawkings! i literally don’t have words for how well this turned out, she looks absolutely beautiful and mina is literally such a talented artist it’s insane. i’m eternally grateful!!!

#also i'll say this in the tags i was so fucking difficult and mina was so understanding please kalhgdfngk #they're the best #eliza hawkings #fallout #fallout 4 #sole survivor #fo4 #oc #art #commission #also i linked my fic because i'm vain

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ofpd · 2 years

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welcome back!!! <3

thank you it was a terrible few hours. what did i even do before i had tumblr.....

#most of the few hours i was sleeping but.#actually it would've been for way longer had i not impulsively decided to go to sleep at 7:30 pm yesterday lmao.#so i woke up at like 6 something (ig i was rlly tired lmao) and immediately went to rb things for mailee week #and then was like omg my main doesnt work D: and then i was able to fix it #i had to delete all my saved urls though :( maybe i'll save some of them again #i definitely need to save zukkot again so i can do the link redirection thing #asks #mina tag

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thethirdromana · 6 months

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His bundle of names links all our little band of men together; but we call him Quincey.

#dracula daily

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spiderlily-w1tch-blog · 4 months

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𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚂𝚊𝚢 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚂𝚎𝚡 𝙸 𝙼𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚂𝚎𝚡

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Genuinely, every time I look for exhibitionism/public sex fics I can’t find ones that are actually Public Sex the best I get is Semi Public Sex (not properly tagged as such 😒) So I’m fixing that.

Most of these Prompts + Characters have been paired up with a Picker Wheel with Characters and Prompts/Scenarios I predetermined(Most, because there’s a Free Space that shows up a couple times, fair warning the Picker Wheel REALLY seemed to like ABO)

There will be a couple repeat prompts but they will all be original stories :)

Links will be added as the fics are posted!! First one coming on January 1st, 2024!!

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Characters and their Prompts(picked by Picker Wheel):

𝕋𝕠𝕟𝕪 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕜 - Public Handjob|Fingering|Oral(ft restaurant)

𝔸𝕚𝕫𝕒𝕨𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕒 - ABO Untimely Heat(ft Unknown Omega/First Heat, stepcest, claiming|mating)(cw: includes stepparent-stepchild stepcest and large age gap(R: early 20s, A: late 40s-early 50s))

𝔸𝕞𝕒𝕛𝕚𝕜𝕚 𝕋𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚 - ABO Pack Omega(ft A!Kiri, A!Fatgum, A!Mirio, B!Midoriya, B!Nejire, B!Tsu)(ft Pack Alpha!Tamaki)

𝕋𝕖𝕥𝕤𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕥𝕤𝕦 𝕋𝕖𝕥𝕤𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕥𝕤𝕦 - Showcase(Public Worship)(ft incest)(cw: includes sibling incest)

𝕂𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕒 𝔼𝕚𝕛𝕚𝕣𝕠𝕦 - Birthday (ft Bakusquad, honorary Shinsou + Tetsutetsu)(ft sharing w Tetsutetsu+Spit Roasting)(ft ABO)(ft O!Kat, A!Hanta, B!Denki, O!Mina, A!Toshi, A!Tetsu + Pack Alpha!Kiri)(cw: includes polyamory and underage(17))

𝕃𝕠𝕘𝕒𝕟 (ℍ𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕥) - Party(ft sitting in his lap, teeth, show off, human present)(GN!Reader, no pronouns or genitalia descriptions)

𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕣(𝕆𝕓𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕖!) - Movie Night(Sitting in his lap)(ft Oviposition)(cw: includes Oviposition and background incest between the Demon Bros)

𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕚 𝔻𝕖𝕟𝕜𝕚 - Outside Filming (ft Kirishima Eijirou)(ft Festival/Fireworks, on a blanket, Spit Roasting)

𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕠 ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒 - Naïveté|Under the Influence(cw: includes drug use(marijuana))

𝕀𝕚𝕕𝕒 𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕪𝕒 - Public Masturbation(ft on a park bench)

𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕛𝕚 𝕄𝕖𝕫𝕠𝕦 - Claiming|Jealousy(ft oblivious to flirting)(mini cw: includes kinda creepy guys pretending to be your friends)

𝕁𝕦𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝔻𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕜 - False Privacy (AMAB!GN!Reader; no pronouns but male genitalia)

𝕌𝕫𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚 𝕄𝕖𝕟𝕞𝕒 - Public Breastfeeding (turned?) Lewd(Casual Breastfeeding)(ft stepcest, Mommy Kink(No Femdom))(cw: includes stepparent-stepchild stepcest and underage and Age Gap(R: early to mid 30s, M: 17))

ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕜𝕦 - Sharing (ft Nara Shikamaru+Double Pen)(ft ABO, Incest)(cw: includes parent-child incest and underage(R: 15, Sm: 17))

𝕋𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕣𝕠𝕜𝕚 𝔼𝕟𝕛𝕚/𝔼𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣 - Forced to Watch(Infidelity)(ft Todoroki Shouto)(ft Stolen|Payback)(cw: contains Infidelity with Cheater!Shouto and Age Gap(R: mid to late 20s, E: late 40s - mid 50s))

𝕋𝕤𝕦𝕜𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕒 𝕂𝕖𝕚 - Ritual|Initiation(ft Kuroo Tetsurou + Bokuto Koutarou)(ft voyeurism)

𝕌𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕙𝕒 𝕀𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕚 - Sex Ed(Demonstration)(ft Uchiha Sasuke)(ft Stepcest)(cw: includes stepsibling stepcest and underage(R: 15, S: 17))

ℍ𝕒𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕂𝕒𝕜𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚 - School(Sex Ed; Demonstration)(ft Konoha 13 boys)(ft teacher/student|age gap, incest)(cw: includes parent-child incest and underage(R: 16))

ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕦 - ABO Public Breeding(ft Claiming|Mating, sex ed, teacher/student|age gap)(cw: includes age gap(R: 16/17, S: mid to late 20s to early 30s) and underage)

𝕊𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕠𝕦 ℍ𝕚𝕥𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕚 - Power Establishment(Gang|Mafia)(ft Stolen|Payback, cock warming)(ft Bakugou)

𝕌𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕛𝕚𝕞𝕒 𝕎𝕒𝕜𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕚 - Group Get Together(ft Haikyuu Captains + partners)(ft oral cock warming, no touching(self))(GN!Reader; no pronouns or genitalia descriptions)

𝕌𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕙𝕒 𝕊𝕒𝕤𝕦𝕜𝕖 - Merfolk(Aquarium|Enclosure || Tail, teeth + claws)(ft claiming|mating, knotting)

𝕄𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕝(𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕣𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕒) - Royalty/Making an Heir (ft Royal Doctor!Julian + Spectator!Asra)(ft having an audience)

𝔸𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕚𝕜𝕚 - Free Space!(ft Cock warming before a game, nipple play)

𝕂𝕦𝕣𝕠𝕠 𝕋𝕖𝕥𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕠𝕦 - Monster/Human(Teeth + Claws, Tentacles)(ft knotting, Aquarium|Enclosure)

𝕄𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕤𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕒 𝔸𝕥𝕤𝕦𝕤𝕙𝕚 - Bar|Club (ft size kink)(cw: includes underage(16))

𝕀𝕟𝕦𝕫𝕦𝕜𝕒 𝕂𝕚𝕓𝕒 - Free Space!(ft Royalty|Making an Heir, ABO, Breeding)

𝔸𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕊𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕠 - ABO Public Breeding(ft Shino’s insects)(ft claiming|mating, oviposition)(cw: includes Oviposition and insects used in sexual scenario)

𝔸𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕊𝕙𝕚𝕓𝕚 - ABO Untimely Heat(unknown omega/first heat)(ft Shibi’s insects!)(cw: includes Oviposition and parent-child incest)

𝔹𝕒𝕜𝕦𝕘𝕠𝕦 𝕂𝕒𝕥𝕤𝕦𝕜𝕚 - Power Establishment(ABO Public Breastfeeding)(ft knotting)

𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕦 𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚 - Monster/Human(ft Tail, Teeth + Claws, Oviposition, Shore/Beach)(cw: includes Oviposition)

𝕆𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕦 - Free Space!(Monster/Human; Tail, Oviposition, hint of teeth)(ft Free Roam, claiming|mating, implied future claiming)(cw: includes Oviposition and being offered as a sacrifice(with the assumption Oro unalives the sacrifices))

𝕄𝕒𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟(𝕆𝕓𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕖!) - Claiming|Jealousy(space invasion)(ft Sharing w Beel, Double Pen)(cw: includes background incest between Mams and Beel and Polyamory)

ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕫𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕠 - Sex Ed(Hands on Learning)(ft Konoha 13 boys)(ft Teacher/Student|Age Gap, sharing w Naruto+Spit Roasting, ABO, stepcest, claiming|mating)(cw: includes stepparent-stepchild and stepsiblings stepcest)

𝕌𝕫𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚 ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕠 - Birthday(ft Konoha 13 boys + Kakashi + Itachi)(ft Fuck Party, Sharing w Kakashi, Double Pen, incest)(cw: includes parent-child incest and Age Gap(R+N: 18/19, K: 36) and underage drinking)

𝕐𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕠 || 𝕋𝕖𝕟𝕫𝕠𝕦 - Movie Night(sitting in his lap)(ft Kakashi + Naruto + Sai + Sasuke + Sakura)(cw: includes Polyamory and hints of Trans!Sai)

𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 - ABO Public Breeding (ft on car sex)

𝕋𝕠𝕜𝕠𝕪𝕒𝕞𝕚 𝔽𝕦𝕞𝕚𝕜𝕒𝕘𝕖 - Monster/Human (ft Kuroiro)(wings, hint of claws)(ft claiming|mating, oviposition, sharing w Kuroiro, double pen)(ft claiming|mating, teeth + claws, tentacles, knotting)(cw: includes Oviposition and Polyamory)

𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕖 - Merfolk(Aquarium|Enclosure || Tail, slight claws)(ft claiming|mating, breeding)

— —

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: All ABO one shots (if it includes vaginal penetration) will have knotting unless specified otherwise!

All Double Penetration fics will be Double Pen in One Hole!

MOST of these will be Female Reader as that’s what I’m most comfortable writing

Some of these will contain potentially triggering content, PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS AND BE AWARE!! Warnings will be restated on each individual one-shot as well. DON’T LIKE DON’T READ.

— —

【𝙼𝙰𝙸𝙽 𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃】

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slayfics · 4 months

Text

Explosive tendencies a slow burn fanfic about the readers developing relationship with Katsuki Bakugo.

Chapter nine: The summer training starts.

Chapter links

The rest of the days leading up to the summer trip went by in a blur. Before you knew it you were back at UA waiting to board the bus to the new secret location for the summer training.

Class 1-B would also be joining the summer trip and Neito was already going at insulting Class 1-A.

"Hmpf- he sure is obsessed with us isn't he?" You said snidely to Mina standing away from the commotion.

"For reals, oh hey our bus is here, come on! Got to get a good seat right!" She said hurrying off.

Most of the class seemed to hurry on the bus, much to Tenya's dismay who made a seating order that got completely ignored. You got on much slower compared to the rest of your class lacking the enthusiasm most of them had. By the time you got on, there were few seats left to choose from.

You scanned the available seats seeing only seats in the back of the bus. You made a quick decision and walked over to Fumikage who was sitting next to Katsuki.

"Hey Tokoyami, I kind of get really bad motion sickness and it's worse at the back of the bus. Would you by any chance mind switching me." You asked.

"Oh sure, not a problem." He said giving you no trouble with switching spots to the back of the bus.

"Tch-" Katsuki exclaimed.

"What?" You said sharply as you sat next to him.

"Do you really get motion sickness or was that just an excuse to sit next to me?" He said teasingly.

"Don't be so full of yourself," you said rolling your eyes. "Mineta is back there and there's no way I'm sitting close to him. Besides, would you have switched me if I had asked you to move instead of Tokoyami?" You asked.

"Not in a million years," He replied.

"Mhm- that's what I thought," You said, crossing your arms and making your point.

"Whatever, you better not throw up on me though I'll kick your ass," He grumbled.

"I won't throw up," You replied harshly.

"Ah- so you admit it then it was a lie," He laughed teasingly.

"Stop flattering yourself," You barked at him. You pulled out your phone feeling it going off in your pocket. Checking the screen you saw a message from Mina.

I see you back there sitting next to Bakugo ;P.

You're face flushed reading the message and you quickly put your phone away and stared out the window as the bus took off.

You both rode the rest of the way in silence, and within an hour the bus stopped for what Aizawa said was a rest stop. Which turned out to be a ruse and the start of the trip. The class was instructed by the heroes The Pussycats to make it the rest of the way on foot through what they called "The Forest of Magic Beasts".

You and the rest of the class got started on the long journey through the woods.

Tags: @anon-mouse223 @unofficialmuilover @maddietries @sikuthealien @queenpiranhadon @melrs21 @poemzcheng

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feyhunter78 · 6 months

Text

Chapter Five - You find Miguel's sister-in-law on Instagram, and Miguel asks you for help with his phone. Ch 6

You trail your fingers over the hand shaped bruises on your thighs, gently, not wanting to press into skin and further irritate the broken blood vessels, as you scroll through your phone. The bathwater around you is still warm, lavender scented bubbles covering the surface, a glass of wine on the flat edge of the tub.

You’ve been trying to find something, anything on Miguel’s family, and finally you’ve done it. An Instagram page pops up, @MinaQMorris, a stunning woman with long wavy red hair and dazzling hazel eyes. The first picture that comes up has her in an elegant, slinky black gown, her arm wrapped around the biceps of a taller man with tan skin and dark eyes, the caption reads: Another successful charity event with my love @GabrielOHara, make sure to sign up for our blood drive next month! Link in my bio!

It’s clear he’s Miguel’s brother, the resemblance is uncanny. Sure, Gabriel is a little skinner, and not as tall as Miguel, but they have the same smile, the same piercing brown eyes.

You shiver at the idea of a blood drive, you hate giving blood, the needles, the sight of it leaving your body, it’s painful and always makes you anxious.

You go to Mina’s tagged photos, finding Miguel’s Instagram quite easily. He has six photos, and it looks like either she or Gabriel forced him to post them. You laugh, it’s so like Miguel, you swear he’s technologically inept, he’s always asking you for help with his phone or his laptop. The only technology he does understand is in the morgue, and you wonder why he finds the morgue equipment so easy but his cell phone confusing.

A notification pops up at the top of your screen, and your eyes flicker up.

Miguel: Y/N, can you help me with my phone tomorrow?

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as they say. You laugh and shoot back a quick response before continuing to stalk Miguel’s page.

Y/N: Sure, what’s wrong with it?

Miguel: Not sure, the sound stopped working.

You roll your eyes. He probably forgot to update the software again.

Y/N: I’ll look at it in the morning.

Miguel sends back a thank you, then the conversation falls silent, and you put your phone on the counter, closing your eyes and relaxing in the warm water.

The next day, you find Miguel waiting outside your office, phone in hand.

He has the latest phone, a sleek but clearly protective dark blue case on it. The lockscreen is a landscape with a gothic-looking manor in the background, and five or six people standing in the foreground with their backs to the camera. You never pegged him as a dark academia guy, but everyone has their thing.

“Okay, let me see it.” You say, taking a seat at your desk. Your office is cozy, covered with plants and brightly colored decorations, you're surrounded by death all day, you figured you might as well celebrate life in your own office.

He opens it and unlocks it before handing it to you and taking a seat in the plush rolling chair. Smiling up at you is Miguel, Gabriel, and Mina, they’re all dressed in dark colors, their outfits ostentatious and clearly expensive, glasses of crimson wine in their hands.

“Did you guys take this on Halloween?” You ask, motioning to the photo.

“Yeah, it’s Mina’s birthday, so her family throws a huge party every year.”

“That’s cool, now okay, did you check for updates?” You ask, going into the settings.

“Yes, and I made sure it was fully charged.” Miguel says, looking like a kicked puppy, as he pulls a rolling chair next to you.

You scroll through his settings, until you come to audio. It’s connected to his earbuds.

“Found the issue, it’s still in Bluetooth mode.” You tell him, swiftly disconnecting it and turning to hand the phone back to Miguel.

A woman’s voice comes through the speakers, and you all but throw Miguel’s phone at him. “Fuck, Miguel, oh baby, please, I need your big fat cock inside me—”

He scrambles to turn down the volume. “Shit, I—that was just a friend of mine, she—”

You hold up a hand, wanting to crawl out of your skin from embarrassment and strangely…jealousy? For a brief second you wanted to be that woman, be begging Miguel to fuck you, to feel him deep inside you, his chest pressed to yours, his lips against your ear whispering sinfully things that make your toes curl. “No, no, no need, what you do in your free time is none of my business.”

Miguel is stiff, curled inward, seemingly just as embarrassed as you. “No, no, y/n, I mean it, she’s nobody.”

You laugh, not at him, to break the tension, but the sound falls flat, and you wave your hand dismissively. “Miguel, seriously, it’s no big deal. Yeah, I’d be a little embarrassed if I knew my boyfriend’s coworker heard me moaning about how much I wanted him but, really, it’s fine, it was an accident.”

There’s a shift in him, his eyes darken for a fleeting moment, and he leans closer, his phone face down on your desk. He towers over you even while you’re both sitting, and your breath hitches in your throat.

“You moan like that for him?” His words are so quiet you barely hear them.

“What?” You blink at him, stunned, frozen.

Miguel’s voice is still quiet, a slight purr to it that sends goosebumps scattering across your skin. “Lo dudo. ¿Cómo podrías hacerlo cuando te deja tan necesitada? No princesa, solo me cantas así.” Trsl: I doubt it. How could you when he leaves you so needy? No princess, you only sing like that for me.

“I don’t speak Spanish.” Is all you can manage to say, a throbbing starting in your core at the way he watches you, the curl of his tongue around the accented words.

He blinks at you, slowly, like a cat, then pulls back. “You shouldn’t send him voice messages like that, it’s not safe, what happened here is a prime example of that.”

You nod, dumbfounded.

“Thanks for your help.” Miguel says suddenly, standing and leaving your office, seeming completely unfazed.

You can’t help but catch the way he pulls his lab coat closed as he leaves, and you catch a quick glimpse of budging fabric that makes you swallow hard.

How the hell does that fit into anybody? Fuck, who cares, I’ll let him make it fit, he can rearrange my fucking guts if he wants.

You hear Miguel choke, then start coughing as he walks away, his footsteps growing fainter and fainter.

I know Miguel is good with tech, he's scheming don't yell at me in the comments

TL: @obi-mom-kenobi, @poutysprouty, @oharasfilipinawife, @laysmt, @cicithemess, @unabashedcroissanttreefan, @lynxslokley, @thedevax

#meg's writing #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel ohara x reader #vampire!miguel #vamp!miguel #vampire!au #miguel o'hara x you #morgue miguel #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel ohara x y/n #miguel ohara x you #vamp!au

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pinkykats-place · 1 year

Text

BakuDeku AU ft. Quirkless Support Department Mido

AO3 SFW Fic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

None of the stories linked below are mine.

All are SFW, still check tags.

Art work by @olldolldraws & @tunafishprincess

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

making it right (for real this time) by ladyofsnails

Summary: Deku, who he’d dreamed of being a hero with when they were kids. Deku, who was quirkless and crushed that dream. Deku, who was told he was useless every day of his life and yet never gave up. Deku, who always strove to achieve his dreams despite the fact that Katsuki was so sure he couldn’t, and who pissed Katsuki off because of it.

Deku, who he’d only stopped being mad at after he gave up on that dream. After the world and Katsuki broke him down.

Deku, who forgave him even before he apologized. Who he didn’t deserve.

Deku, who was probably more heroic than Katsuki ever was.

Fuck. What had he done?

— — —

Izuku is a support course student at UA, and Katsuki's neighbor, best friend, and former bullying victim. After Izuku's performance at the sports festival, Katsuki realizes something. He has to make things right.

One Shot | SFW

Loud Obscurity by Cynical_Love

Summary: Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku never met as children. They're strangers at UA not knowing each other, until one fateful day in the Library, the two begin to talk.

One Shot | SFW

The Perfect Girl's Plan to Woo Bakugou Katsuki and how it Was Ruined by a Nerd by TurtleExplodes

Summary: The most popular girl in UA has her eyes on the most popular boy in UA, Bakugou Katsuki, and she will do anything to get him. She has the perfect plan to sweep him off his feet, but will it work, or will it be interrupted by a freckled nerd?

One Shot | SFW | Third Years

Colors and Shapes by MochiUs

Summary: A story told through soul marks.

One Shot | SFW | Soulmate AU

Do You Know Midoriya, From The Support Course? by theamandarogers

Summary: “Looks like you got hit with Cupid’s arrow,” Sero chimes from his seat.

“You could say that,” Kirishima says with a sheepish smile.

“SPILL!” Mina and Denki shout at the same time, lunging forward to place their hands on his desk, getting in his personal space to urge him on.

“Hmm, ok well.. do you know Midoriya, from the Support Course?”

That seems to get everyone’s attention, even if it was said in a slightly hushed tone to his friends directly in front of him.

He suddenly feels like a piece of meat, floating in the middle of a school of piranhas. All eyes and attention suddenly focused on the spiky red head.

One Shot | SFW

Gimmie A Chance by denkischoker

Summary: Underground Alpha Hero Eraserhead has never really cared about much in his life. At least until he found a small Omega child left in a box while on patrol. Izuku is Aizawa’s main source of joy. He would do absolutely anything to protect his child. And if that means having to keep Alpha hero student Katsuki Bakugou from courting his son… so be it

Complete | 12 Chapters

OmegaVerse | Rated Mature

Fuck, but he's hot though by Gruffgami

Summary: Izuku was ready for just about anything. He was prepared - emotionally, physically, spiritually, All Mightily - for just about anything but a brash, aggressive, annoying, thoughtful, kind and sometimes...flustered Bakugo Katsuki.

— — —

“Icyhot got you first?” Katsuki gaped at him, “Fucking hipster edge-lord has had you working on his costume – of course, you made those temperature bombs? Sharing his quirk is genius, so of course it wasn’t his idea. I can’t believe he didn’t-“

“Kacchan,” Izuku scolded, voice close to fond. And then it all halted abruptly. He hadn’t meant to – thought he had better control, thought he was going to be able to keep the past out of it all, “…uh.”

And it was only when his eyes flicked back to Katsuki that he realised the other man was blushing again.

They both half-started sentences, fumbling.

Thankfully, Katsuki got his shit together faster than Izuku.

Complete | 4 Chapters | SFW

Aged Up | BakuDeku + Todoroki

obligation, friendship, love by myheartslikepaper

Summary: Katsuki and Izuku are best friends, coworkers, and secretly in love with one another. But they're too afraid of losing their friendship to confess. On Valentine's Day Katsuki witnesses an abundance of people happy and in love, and decides that enough is enough. He takes Izuku out to a fancy Valentine's Day dinner, but there's one issue - Izuku doesn't get the memo that it's a date. Will Katsuki’s true intentions come to light?

One Shot | Quirkless Deku x PH Baku

Rated - General Audiences

Series: I’m your mechanic & you’re my hero by taleeia

Summary: AU where Midoriya never got his quirk and managed to get into UA as a support hero.

Complete | 3 Works | SFW

Series: Genius Support Course Izuku by PhantomKetchup

Summary: Midoriya Izuku is a quirkless genius with his heart set on creating support equipment and a hobby for picking apart quirks with frightening accuracy, only his best friend and sworn husband to-be (he called dibs when they were five and extras better know their place) understands that God himself had to nerf Izu or he'd literally be too powerful. He's still a little too powerful but that's just his genius leaking out.

11 Works | SFW

Series: Support course Izuku by fallingbutnotforyou

2 Works | SFW

Reunited At Last (But Not Alone) by momkeyy

Summary: A fic in which Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki starts crushing on Support Gear Technician Izuku Midoriya. Badly. *But he's not the only one, as he'll soon find out.

Incomplete | 12/? Chapters

Last updated Sept. 2022

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http-tokki · 2 years

Text

Did you just see her naked?

~ bakugou katsuki x fem!reader ~ tags/cw: aged up bakugou, canonverse, fluff, best friends to lovers, domesticity ~ wc: 700

platonically:

the Bakusquad and a few others had gathered in your apartment for your intervention. It wasn't anything serious; there was no life or death involved, just you fucking the absolute scummiest, dirtiest, shittiest man whore on campus. It wasn't a one-time thing like you had promised your roommate, it had become a weekly occurrence, and every time you came home crying, Katsuki had to comfort you. It was getting to the point that each time you bid your goodbyes, Katsuki was setting up chocolate and tissues on the living room table in anticipation of your breakdown, and after last night, he had enough. Messaging the group chat in secret, he called a meeting to discuss what he should do and how to help you see that your sneaky link was a piece of shit and was not making your life better. The only problem is that you are currently in the shower, and as the time ticks over into ten minutes, Katsuki’s patience wears thin. Mina had already gone up and told you to hurry up, that the food was getting cold and you wouldn't have any left, but apparently, that wasn't important to you as you are still in the shower. Ten minutes came and went, and so did Bakugou's patience.

"What the fuck is she doing in there?" he mutters angrily as he stands from the couch.

"Just leave her. She'll be out soon," Kirishima pipes up around a mouthful of noodles.

"She's getting out now. I'm sick of waiting," Katsuki angrily huffs as he storms down the hall.

"What are you gonna do? Drag her out?" Mina laughs as she peaks down the hall.

That's precisely what he does. With a fluffy pink towel in one hand, Katsuki barges into the bathroom. Mina watches as Bakugou disappears into the steam-filled room. The sound of his angry shouting is dulled by your music which is swiftly cut off as you scream.

"Bakugou! What the fuck are you doing?" you sound terrified as the water shuts off.

"We're all waiting for you! Put this on!" Katsuki barks out.

"Dude! I'm naked."

"Dude, I don't care. Hurry the fuck up" He bites back.

There is shuffling, then the sound of your scream, and then Mina sees Bakugou walking back down the hall, you slung over his shoulder, wrapped in the pink towel. His shirt is wet, which can only be because he reached in to turn the taps off. You're glaring at the blond as he sets you down on the couch, hair dripping wet spots on the grey material. You cross your arms over your chest and stare up at your roommate.

"Can I at least get dressed?"

Bakugou shakes his head. "No. Stay. We're doing this now. Kaminari stop staring”

Romantically:

It was movie night at your apartment. Your friends had all gathered, dinner ideas being tossed around while you showered.

"I don't want to get something that Honey won't eat," Mina points out as she takes back her phone that had uber eats open.

"She'll eat anything, you know that," Katsuki sighs from the couch.

"But we are thinking of trying something new tonight," Mina explains. "We'll just wait."

Bakugou rolls his eyes and stands from the couch. "Where's it from?"

Mina looks confused but answers him anyway. "The new place near campus"

Katsuki nods and starts toward the bathroom. Mina follows his form, watching as he walks into the bathroom. There is no scream or protests about him being in there; there is just the sound of your music being lowered and Katsuki asking if you were okay with ordering from the restaurant.

"Mina, go with the new restaurant" You call out from the bathroom.

"You sure?" She calls back.

"Yeah, 'Suki's showing me the menu. I'll get Katsu Chicken."

Suki? "Okay," Mina is weary as she starts clicking on the dishes everyone wants.

The room was silent as Bakugou walks back in, wiping his arms with a hand towel.

"Suki?" Mina questions, shortly followed by Kirishima's "Did you just walk in on her while she is naked?"

Katsuki shrugs and returns to his spot on the couch. His attention turns to his phone as he throws out a casual. "yeah, we're dating now."

a/n: can’t stop laughing at katsuki just walking in on you showering because he just doesn't care that you’re naked. (either because he doesn’t see you that way or because he has already seen you naked and seeing you shower isn’t a novelty anymore)

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kissingghouls · 1 year

Text

The King

Part Three - The Consequences // ao3 // part one // part two Vampire Secondo x Female Reader

Summary: Complications arise following Mary's call. What are you and a vampire man to do?

tags: NSFW, MDNI, 18+, horror themes, VAMPIRE VIOLENCE, violence, smut, BLOOD, poisoning, minor character death, so much blood, so much smut, more tags on ao3.

15k words, my loves.

I want to thank @ramblingoak for everything. The hand holding, the cheerleading, the pre-approval of just about every word in this thing. I could not have done this without you. 💖 shouts out to all my discord ghesties and everyone who liked, commented and/or reblogged this work, The Count, and the Suck Club extended universe. There is so much incredible talent and love in this fandom 💖💕✨

Part Three: The Consequences

It took seven men to bring Mina down, five of which she took with her. Had the outcome been different you would have been in complete awe of the woman. Instead, you were left mourning her.

It was only after her death that you learned anything about Mina. She had trained in several disciplines, all of which drew Secondo’s attention years ago. She was a Doll first, but over time she became a trusted member of his security detail, someone he relied on to keep him and the others safe. You were angry with yourself for only learning this now.

You curled up on the bed, drawing your knees tight to your chest as Secondo paced the length of his room. He hadn’t spoken much since hanging up with Mary. The silence pressed hard on the room, growing heavier with each of his steps until you couldn’t stand it any longer. You crawled from the bed and blocked his path, forcing him to stop long enough to get your arms around his middle. As you pressed your face into his chest the dam broke, and tears spilled from your eyes.

He stiffened under your touch. “Tesorino, I—”

You shook your head and maneuvered his strong arms around your body, urging him to hold you. “Please, just…just for a second. Please.”

There was a part of you that knew he didn’t understand what you were doing or what you might need, that he didn’t know what he might need. This was the best that you had to offer without words that would surely come out wrong and fuck everything up. His hold began to tighten as it sunk in and neither of you needed to say anything about it at all.

And you fell so much more madly in love with him.

When the tears stopped, he reluctantly let you go in favor of swiping his thumbs under your eyes to dry your cheeks. He cradled your face, dipping down just enough to softly press his lips to yours.

“I need to go to the club,” he told you quietly. There was no question in it, just a flat statement that burst the little bubble the two of you had inhabited for the past few hours.

“I’m coming with you,” you countered. It didn’t matter whether he wanted you to or not. If these people had no problem killing Mina, you knew they were far more dangerous than he would ever say. You were never going to let him out of your sight again.

He studied you for a moment, debating whether he wanted to argue. He relented and took your hand, leading you into his ridiculously sized closet. His suits lined the walls, neatly tucked into a set order, followed by his shirts and his shoes. Rows of drawers housed his collection of watches and cuff links, and he watched you open and close each one with a fond smile, delighted by your growing fascination with his things.

None of the things mattered anymore now that you were his. He couldn’t stop himself from shuffling over and draping his body over yours.

Idolatry looked abandoned, the husk of the building unlit and cast in shadow. The front parking lot was completely empty, all those neat rows of spaces normally filled with luxury cars left bare. Secondo pulled around the back, parking his own stupidly expensive car next to that ridiculous SUV Mary had cursed the day before.

Inside it was quiet, all the normal hum and buzz of thumping music shut off in favor of Mary barking directions. The sharp smell of bleach stung your nostrils and you pinned yourself to Secondo’s side, gripping his arm to try to avoid looking too closely at the room. Aside from a few overturned tables and the handful of body bags against the wall, the club was largely still in order, just heavily soaked in a chemical smell.

Lucy stood in the middle of the room without a stitch of makeup, her face puffy and red even under the dim lights. It was odd, almost uncomfortable to see her wearing casual clothes—a pair of grey sweatpants that were at least a size too big, probably thrown on hastily once she heard the news. Her head turned slowly toward you and Secondo, her expression changing to something harsh.

New, angry tears streamed down her face as she gritted her teeth and stomped toward her boss. She began to hurl insults at him with every step, balling her hands into fists while she screamed. She struck him hard in the chest once she was close enough, then again and again until she slammed both of her fists into him with all her might. She was screaming incoherently with each heavy blow, but Secondo simply tucked you behind him and let her swing.

“This is all your fault!” she wailed. “You didn’t keep her safe. You fucking left to save yourself and it’s your fucking fault. Do you hear me? Mina is fucking dead because of you.”

“Lucy, I—” he tried.

“I don’t want to hear it! You tell me. You tell me right now what you’re going to do about this.”

“I—I—”

“I know what you are,” she seethed her chest heaving as she stared him down. “You hear me? I know what you are and you better fucking fix this before more innocent people get killed.”

“Lucy!” Mary hissed, bounding across the room to pull her away from their boss.

“Lucy,” he tried again. “I’m—”

She shook off Mary’s hold and swung wide, punching the vampire in the mouth. Her fist connected hard enough that Secondo brought his hand to his face in shock.

“Lucy!” Mary yelled, grabbing at her again.

He drew his hand away, his lip bloodied. He didn’t react, just stared down at the blood on his fingers. The room fell painfully silent as Lucy launched herself away from Mary and spat directly in Secondo’s face.

“You fucking fix it,” she hissed, finally letting Mary grab her and pull her from the room. The rest of the security team followed suit, no one wanting to stick around to see what his reaction might be.

No one but you.

He dropped onto the edge of the stage with a heavy sigh but kept silent. You could feel the anger radiating off him, the waves almost visible like heat on asphalt. You pulled the cuff of your sleeve over the edge of your hand and carefully swiped Lucy’s spit from his face while urging him to look at you.

“Talk to me,” you offered.

He shook his head. “You should go.”

You brought your other hand to his face, forcing him to look at you. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“She’s right. What I am…they killed Mina because of me.”

“I like what you are.”

He scoffed at you. “No, you don’t. You have no idea what I really am.”

“Show me.”

He pulled away from you, shaking his head. “No.”

You grabbed his collar and pulled yourself up on the stage, your legs resting on either side of his. You made a show of lowering yourself onto his thighs, his every muscle flexing as you leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Show me.”

“I can’t,” he whispered back.

“Baby,” you purred, drawing your lips and teeth over his strong jaw. “You’re not going to scare me off. I knew you were a vampire before you fucked me on that desk, remember? I like what you are.”

“Baby?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“What? You want me to call you Daddy?”

He groaned and shifted under you, his hands coming to rest on your hips. “I told you; you have to stop calling me that.”

“Fucking make me then.”

A low rumble rose from his chest, a growl meant to warn you away from his true nature, but all it really did was make you soak through your panties. You rocked your core against him, heat rising through your belly as you felt him growing hard beneath you. You were his now, no matter what, and if you had to prove it by dragging this side out of him, then you wouldn’t hesitate.

You watched his eyes darken; pupils blown out completely as you pulled the bandages from your neck. You brought his hand to your throat, holding his fingers over the wound he’d made.

“I’m still yours, Secondo.”

His grip tightened, fingers closing slightly around your throat as he captured you in a bruising kiss. His teeth caught your lip, easily splitting it open to have your blood mix with his as his tongue invaded your mouth. You felt the bite reopen against his touch, blood slowly beading on the surface.

“I need—” he pleaded.

“Do it.”

He dropped his hand and pressed his teeth into the bite, drinking deep as a guttural sound left him. His arms locked around you, keeping you close as he rutted against you desperately. He pulled off your neck, panting hard as he drew the traces of you from his teeth. He smiled and shoved his hand down your panties, curling his fingers into your entrance without warning.

“Gonna make you mine all over again,” he growled into your ear as he withdrew his fingers. He slipped out from under you and ripped your shirt over your head before pushing you down on the stage.

A small whimper escaped your lips as you looked over your shoulder to catch him stroking himself while watching you, his trousers hanging halfway off the edge of the stage. He slipped one hand under you, easing your hips up so he could tease the head of his thick cock against your entrance, sliding himself through your folds while praising you with pretty words that didn’t match his tone.

“Baby, please,” you begged.

He folded himself over you, fisting a hand in your hair and yanking your head back. “Please what?”

You mewled under him, trying to push back against his body as you searched for relief. You knew he was strong, much stronger than he let on. Feeling him position you just how he wanted, knowing he was going to take you how he wanted was a bigger turn on than you could’ve imagined. “Please,” you begged again. “Please show me I’m yours.”

He smiled, using the hand in your hair to turn your face toward the mirror at the back of the stage. “Is that what you want to see, tesorino?”

Before you could answer, he pushed into you, burying himself with a quick thrust that left your mouth hanging open and your eyes rolling back. The stretch of him inside your cunt burned despite how wet you were, but he gave you a moment to adjust as his hand left your hair in favor of your tits. He pinched your nipple between his fingers, waiting for you to whine and writhe against him as he drew his hips back slowly.

You clawed helplessly at the glossy floor, trying to anchor yourself to anything as he brought his hands to your hips and pushed back into you. He set a steady pace, pulling at your hips to meet each rough thrust. You watched him in the mirror, biting into his own lip as he pounded into that spot inside you that brought you screaming over the edge. He fucked you even harder through your orgasm, almost immediately drawing a second wave of bliss from you. Your knees were killing you and you were fairly sure you wouldn’t be able to walk after this, but you begged him not to stop, to take what he needed from you.

He wrapped a hand around your throat again, squeezing tight as he pulled you back against him and thrust deep. He bit into the other side of your neck as he came, grunting hard as he pumped each hot pulse into you. You came apart completely, your body going limp against his. Gently, he eased you down, laying you across the stage as he pulled out and withdrew his teeth from your neck. He collapsed next to you, breathing hard.

“Tesorino,” he sighed. “Are you ok?”

“I’m better than ok.”

He huffed out a small laugh and dropped a kiss on your shoulder. “Thank you, tesorino.”

It took every ounce of strength, but you turned your head to face him. “For what?”

He shrugged. “Everything.”

Somewhere behind you, Mary cleared their throat. “Guys, I’m really not trying to interrupt, but can you please take it upstairs? There are still bodies I have to get rid of.”

Secondo let you recover on the velvet chaise in his office, his suit jacket draped over you like a blanket. He busied himself digging through the security footage, trying to figure out exactly how this could have happened. Idolatry was supposed to be safe. He’d built a fortress in the middle of the city to protect himself and the people he’d tried so hard not to get attached to and it still failed. These hunters had destroyed everything he’d worked for in a matter of hours, taking one of his precious Dolls with them.

Whoever the hunters were, they didn’t seem to operate under the same moral codes of the past. Mina should have been off limits to any of them, no matter how hard she fought back. The security tapes showed exactly how hard she fought, a sequence of events even he found difficult to watch. They’d killed his friend. Before you, he knew he would’ve never admitted that even to himself, but now his entire world was different.

No one was going to touch you or his friends again.

A knock on the door pulled his attention away from the horrific video. Mary gave a slight wave from the open door, their arms full of random objects as they waited for permission to enter. Secondo raised an eyebrow and gestured for them to come inside, not quite understanding until Mary nodded toward you. He realized Mary was trying to give him space with you, not sure how much room the two of you needed to be comfortable. He thought maybe you would’ve been fine with anything, but Mary knew him well enough to consider just how weird the entire situation was. But when he really thought about it, he hadn’t been uncomfortable around you at all—not after you’d kissed him.

He watched as Mary gently pulled you into a seated position and pressed a juice box into your hand, urging you to drink. They squinted at the marks on your neck before digging into a first aid kit and motioned for Secondo to join them. He held your hand while Mary dabbed at your wounds, cleaning up the bloody mess he’d made of you. They showed him every step, each little piece of the human needs puzzle so he would know how to fix you up better next time. There were more pink bandages covered in cartoon cats because Mary simply couldn’t help themselves, but the newer bite was worse than he’d intended. That one required him to hold a patch against your neck while Mary stretched medical tape over the edges with a sigh.

“You should get her out of here,” Mary suggested flatly.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he argued gruffly. “I can’t leave. I have to find out who these people are.”

“You need to take care of your very human girlfriend, Boss—”

“I am,” he snapped in a tone that suggested Mary should be very, very careful.

“You are,” Mary agreed quickly. “But she’s very weak, Boss. If they could do that to Mina…They already got in once. There’s nothing stopping them from coming back and if they did? Right now? What do you think would happen?”

Secondo watched you take a long pull from the straw poking out from the top of the juice box, its insides caving in as you went.

“Mary’s right,” you added drowsily, your voice quieted by your efforts not to move your neck. “If they can kill Mina like that, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me in front of you.”

“Tesorino—”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t fight back, but strategy is probably the better option here.”

He brought a hand to your face, smoothing a thumb over your cheek. “You’re very smart, tesorino.”

“Hmm, I thought I was ‘kind of hopeless.’”

His face fell, eyes darting back and forth as he thought hard, the realization hitting him like a truck. Idolatry had so many patrons it was impossible to know them all, but the people in that video were somehow familiar. “They’ve been here before.”

“Yeah, Boss. We’re still trying to figure out how they got in—”

“No, they’ve been here before. They’re…they’re members. They must have been for a while now. That man that grabbed you right after Halloween, the one at that club—”

“Oh, fuck,” Mary groaned. “Ok now you two really need to get out of here. Go back to the penthouse and lay low, ok? I’ll reach out to some of my contacts and see if we can find these assholes.”

“Mary, it’ll be fine—” he tried.

“I’m not worried about you,” Mary hissed through gritted teeth.

Both of their painted faces turned to look at you.

“What did I do?”

“Well, for one, you fucked a vampire—”

“Ok Mary,” Secondo said loudly as he stood. “We get it. We’re going. Just…she’s not the only human I worry about.”

Mary cringed. “You’re not going to try to kiss me, are you?”

Secondo scowled at them; every line of his face exaggerated by the paint. “Don’t die.”

The ride back to the penthouse was quiet. Secondo’s hand rested protectively on your thigh the entire time, using the occasional squeeze to ground him in his thoughts. You didn’t want to say it, but you suspected that one little phrase was the most he’d ever expressed how he felt toward Mary. As much as it would be great to have Secondo finally in touch with his feelings, you doubted that was truly the case. It was something you’d only noticed a handful of times, that look on his face when he was deeply concerned. It was there when you’d been attacked and that night he tucked you into your bed. And it was there when he said goodbye to Mary at Idolatry.

The vampire was worried.

He kept it to himself, of course, locked up behind the tight line of his lips. When you arrived at the penthouse, he didn’t bother to join you on the sofa. Instead, he went straight to the kitchen and busied himself with whatever he could find. You shuffled over and wrapped your arms around his middle, pressing your face into his back as you tried to mimic his pose from earlier. You were nowhere near tall enough to completely envelope the man, but you latched on with all your strength anyway.

He placed a hand against your arms, letting his frantic movements slow with a soft hum. “Are you hungry, tesorino?”

You shrugged against him, not wanting to give up your position.

“I…It helps me sometimes. Cooking. It helps me calm down,” he admitted.

“That explains the lasagna,” you said with a light laugh. “And I believe I was promised food anyway?”

“Did I not satisfy your hunger last night, tesorino?”

You groaned, your cheeks heating up as you pushed your face even harder against him. “You’re so obnoxious.”

“Only for you.”

“Wow, I’m so lucky,” you teased sarcastically.

“Yeah, you really are.”

You rolled your eyes and pretended to dry heave as you peeled yourself off him and hopped on the counter. He grew quiet again, opting to tap a finger against your nose before shifting your leg out of the way. He reached into the cabinet below, grabbing whatever cookware he needed to distract himself from everything that was going on.

You watched him with a soft smile as he moved through the kitchen he knew so well, wondering how often it was he indulged in such things. There was a flow and a familiarity to his movements, like a muscle memory he couldn’t unlearn if he wanted to. Someday, you’d ask him about these things, about his past and who’d taught him to prepare food with such graceful movements. But today you were happy to watch silently as this man who had captured all your attention continued to surprise you.

When he finished, he passed you a plate before jumping up on the counter next to you. You sat shoulder to shoulder, still in silence aside from the occasional scrape of a fork. It was a comfortable quiet the two of you hadn’t yet been afforded. A brief moment of normalcy where you could rest your head on his shoulder and just exist together. It didn’t last long, but it was more than enough when he dropped a kiss on the top of your head and completely relaxed against you. You wanted to stay in that feeling forever, the soft and warm safety of belonging to someone who wanted to belong to you, but the quiet burst like a bubble, collapsing around you as his phone rumbled to life in his pocket.

He checked it quickly, letting you know Mary had sent an update as he read the lines of text. His teeth found his lip, chewing on the painted skin as his eyes darted back and forth. A heavy sigh left him before he heaved himself off the counter and gave you a worried look.

“These hunters…they’ve attacked others already. Mary said they have a poison—some kind of toxin that weakens us and they—” He swallowed hard, before continuing in a serious tone. “There’s something you should know.”

“If you’re going to start another ‘you shouldn’t be with me’ speech, I swear—”

“No, tesorino. I feel no guilt about my part in what happened. But all of this may be my own fault.”

“Ok,” you said slowly, sliding off the counter to reach for him. “You can tell me anything. Anything.”

He licked his lips as he looked down at you, some nervous gesture you hadn’t yet seen from him. He took your hand in his, running his thumb over your knuckles. “Our existence is…complicated. That’s part of the reason my brothers and I have settled so far apart. But before you started working for me, Terzo and I went to visit Copia. He was…being threatened by a religious organization—”

“You mean like a church?”

“An abbey full of satanic nuns, actually. They occupied part of his castle as some half-baked safety measure. I guess it kept curious townspeople away.”

“Huh. So, what happened?”

“They threatened him—threatened to kill him, to expose him. So, the three of us tore through the entire abbey in one night. It…it wasn’t pretty.”

You squeezed his hand. “Why would they threaten him? If they lived there…if they knew who he was…”

Secondo let a soft, shy smile grace his lips. “He fell in love with one of their nuns.”

You nodded slowly. “The Countess is a nun? A vampire Count and a nun?”

“She was. But the Sisters of Sin are far from your typical nuns, tesorino.”

“But if these nuns threatened him, all you did was protect him.”

“I suppose.”

“Baby, your brother needed help and you helped him. I don’t see how that could be a bad thing. Especially under the circumstances if his only crime was falling for someone. Unless that’s…” you trailed off, not wanting to say it aloud.

He cupped your face. “Tesorino, no. It should have been no one’s business, but it was. And unfortunately, killing that many humans doesn’t usually go unnoticed. And Copia turned the Countess without even thinking about it first.”

“What, you guys have some governing body to answer to?”

He shook his head. “Not in so many words, no. There are just…rules. Things that are supposed to keep us safe or keep you safe from us.”

“I’m safe with you.”

He shrugged. “You might not be.”

“Stop. I told you I don’t want to do that again—”

“I know, I’m not—I don’t want you to go, but these people are dangerous. You could get hurt or…they killed Mina without a second thought, and I don’t know what they’re going to do next.”

“What about your brothers?” you asked softly.

“What about them?”

“Couldn’t you call them and have them help you? Like you helped them?”

He shook his head. “It would only make things worse.”

“I don’t—”

“No, you don’t. There is no quick fix for what is happening. If I call them, if they come here—it has consequences, worse than the ones we’re facing now. We don’t even know who these people are; all we know is that they’re after me. I won’t bring my brothers here and deliver them to fucking vampire hunters.”

“But couldn’t they help you—”

“No,” he snapped harshly and quickly began to panic, a thousand apologies falling from his lips. “I’m sorry, amore. But no. I know you mean to help but I can’t. I couldn’t bring them here any easier than I could send you away.”

“So, what do we do?” you asked and looked up at him. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, a dam ready to burst as you tried to hold back every worry. You could care less about what happened to you, but the thought of losing him hurt so much, an ache so deep you felt it with everything you were—bones and teeth and blood. Nothing was free from that horrible feeling as you reached for him, desperately wrapping yourself around him and hiding your face against his chest.

He slid an arm around you, holding you there as his phone began to ring again. He frowned at the screen, the indication that Mary was calling made both of your stomachs sink. He slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call, immediately switching to speaker as his grip on you tightened.

“Mary?” he asked carefully.

“Boss don’t—” Mary yelled, but the voice was far from the phone.

“We have your little pet,” a man spat into the phone over the sound of Mary struggling. “We normally wouldn’t bother, but you have an unusual attachment to your humans, Secondo. Is the girl with you?”

“Who are you?” he asked through gritted teeth. His fingers dug hard into your side; whatever calm he’d managed to find was long gone now, buried beneath a seething rage. It was coming off him in the same waves as before, when Lucy had shouted at him, but this time he wasn’t holding it back.

“You’ll find out soon enough, Mr. Emeritus,” the man teased. “That is, if you ever want to see them again.”

Secondo bared his teeth, an animalistic growl rising from his chest. “If you hurt them—”

“What? What will the big bad vampire do to little old me? Relax, old man. We’re not interested in hurting the familiar, we want you. So, what do you say, hm? What if I give you three days to make up your mind? You give yourself up or I kill your familiar. You choose.”

His chest heaved, fingernails breaking the skin and cutting into you as the man made his sickening offer. He didn’t bother letting Secondo answer. The man dropped this horrible ultimatum and ended the call before either of you could think.

“Baby?” you asked softly, shifting under his arm to alleviate the pressure from his hand.

He let up as he stared down at his phone, eyebrows knitted together. “Sorry,” he whispered softly. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s ok,” you assured him. “What can I do?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, tesorino. You stay right here. I’m going to call my brothers.”

It wasn’t the sound of the elevator that woke you, but the sudden absence of Secondo’s body. That chime had pulled him from you faster than you thought possible. He’d barely left your side after the phone call, some part of him always touching you for reassurance that you were there, that you were ok. It was hard to see him so tense, but you did your best to offer him comfort in whatever way he seemed to accept. Staying within arm’s reach, tucking yourself into his side, occasionally pressing a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth; it was a simple list of things, but he’d relaxed against each one and finally allowed himself to doze off next to you.

As you slipped from the bed, you could hear him speaking distantly. A conversation moved between voices you didn’t recognize, the living room full of more life than ever. His brothers had arrived, their tones a little more easygoing than yours would’ve been, given the situation. Truthfully, you still didn’t know much about them. It was possible they had faced much worse in however many years of existence.

“I can’t believe you would show up like this,” Secondo groaned, his voice growing louder as you moved out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

“What is the problem, fratello?” the slightly smaller man asked. His face was painted like Secondo’s, though the design was different. He was dressed in an elaborate military uniform, complete with tails and gold accents. “You said war.”

“Epaulets?” Secondo barked. “The two of you in matching outfits is already too much, but epaulets? Seriously?”

“Hey,” the woman snapped, pushing herself between the two men. She was dressed in a uniform of her own, perfectly matched to the vampire next to her. Her paint was slightly more subtle with thick black rings surrounding her eyes. You realized they must be the Count and the Countess. “Little Lord Terzo walked in wearing a tux and you’re not yelling at him.”

“Yes, because I look amazing,” Terzo said proudly, dramatically sweeping a white glove over his outfit. His face was painted as well, but still different from his brothers with bold geometric lines drawn over his skin.

“Fuck, this was a terrible idea,” Secondo whined, burying his face in his hands as he dropped onto the sofa.

The Countess’s eyes went wide. Without Secondo’s massive form blocking out the room, she could see right to where you were standing.

“Hey Twos? Did you forget to mention something else on the phone?” the Countess asked lightly.

“What?”

Terzo turned and followed her line of sight, his eyes landing straight on you skirting the edge of the room. “Oh, fratello. Are you playing with your food now?”

Secondo moved too fast. Barely a blink, and he was across the room with Terzo hauled up by the collar, feet kicking wildly. “Watch your mouth, stronzino,” he ground out and dropped Terzo like dead weight before turning to you. “Tesorino, these are my idiot brothers Copia and Terzo,” he explained, pointing at the two men. “And this is the Countess, who is only dressed like an idiot.”

“This is vintage,” Terzo hissed from the ground.

“I don’t care,” Secondo sang.

The Countess looked back and forth from Secondo to you, a slight look of worry gracing her face before it changed to something happier. She crossed the room, tears spilling from her eyes as she ran toward you and pulled you into a hug. Her strength rivaled Secondo’s as she dragged you around like a rag doll. “The accountant.”

“Yes,” Secondo groaned and told them your name. “Now put her down, she’s a human not a kitten.”

“Um, hello,” you managed awkwardly as the Countess set you back down. “Sorry we’re not meeting under different circumstances.”

“Under different circumstances this stronzo would have kept you to himself,” Terzo said with a snort. He stepped toward you, giving you an appreciative look up and down. The action was not at all subtle, nor was the way he brought a gloved hand to your face, caressing your cheek. “Though I can see why.”

He let out a helpless yelp as Secondo grabbed the back of his jacket and tossed him across the room. “I’ll kill you far more painfully than those hunters, fratellino. Apologize.”

“Mi dispiace,” Terzo squeaked from the ground.

Copia cleared his throat. “He does have a point, Secondo. You also hide in your castle, it’s just—” He made a disgusted face. “Hideously box shaped.”

“I don’t know, amore,” the Countess argued. “It kind of suits him.”

“So glad you came all the way here to hate my apartment and hit on my girlfriend. Can we please focus? Mary is in trouble.”

You felt the mood shift in the room as Secondo all but admitted he was scared for his familiar. The others grew serious for the first time as they settled around the coffee table, each waiting for Secondo’s direction. When he finally spoke, the other vampires began shouting at him. He had delivered the worst plan any of you had ever heard—giving himself up. Whatever he’d said after that didn’t matter.

Copia began to pace, a long string of Italian swears and phrases falling effortlessly from his lips as he traced the length of the room and back. Any other time the family resemblance would have delighted you, but you barely noticed as Secondo’s words fully sunk in.

“You invited us here to watch you die?” Terzo spat venomously, saying exactly what everyone was thinking without any delicacy at all.

“Were none of you listening?” Secondo snapped back.

They began to argue, each vampire trying to shout over the others as you removed yourself from the scene. You closed the bedroom door behind you, trying to dampen the sounds of the argument. You curled up on the bed, hugging your knees to your chest as you chewed on your lip. You had listened, of course, just as the others did, and handing himself over to the hunters was only the first part of his plan, it was still the part that was hardest for any of you to hear.

The idea of losing him knocked the breath from your lungs, a pain that spread and burned deep in your chest. You wanted to scream until your throat bled, but you settled for crying alone in the dark of his room. A handful of days. That’s all the two of you had and it was nowhere near enough. Maybe if you had just said something earlier, maybe if you hadn’t doubted yourself so much the two of you could have had so much more.

“Tesorino?” he called quietly from the doorway.

There was silence behind him, the disagreement between the vampires long settled. You didn’t know how long you had been laying there crying in his bed. He didn’t wait for you to answer; he settled next to you and pulled you into his lap like he had done so many times now. The tears fell harder as you wondered if it would be the last.

“Amore, per favore,” he whispered into your hair. “What happened?”

You shook your head and wrapped your arms around his neck. “I don’t…I can’t…”

“Tesorino, it will be ok. I will find Mary; my brothers will find me, and I will come back to you.”

“It’s just…we—"

“Amore mio, mio cuore—”

You choked out a small laugh. “I’m your heart now?”

“You have always been my heart, tesorino,” he said and held your hand against his chest. “Who taught you these words, hmm?”

“You think I would have a crush on a sexy Italian man and not do a little research?”

“Who is he? I’ll kill him.”

“Shut up,” you said softly and brought your lips to his.

“Tesorino, mio cuore, ti—”

You covered his mouth with your hands, gently shaking your head. “Don’t,” you begged in a whisper. “I know what you’re going to say, and I feel the same way about you. But right now, I need you to fuck me so hard I can’t remember how scared I am.”

He wrapped his hands around your wrists, pulling your hands away from his mouth. “Need?”

“Please?” you begged again, rocking your hips against him. “I just need—”

He brought his hands to your hips, guiding your movement. “Tell me.”

“I need to feel something else, Secondo. I need you.”

With a growl he turned his body, quickly pinning yours to the bed beneath him. He attacked the space where his borrowed t-shirt fell away from you, leaving your shoulder exposed like a target. He drew his teeth across your collarbone, pressing hard enough you were sure it would leave an angry red line. But you didn’t care what he did as long as he didn’t stop touching you. Somehow you had managed to have the best day of your life and the worst all at the same time, like some cosmic fucking joke about everything having a price. You didn’t want to think anymore, didn’t want to mourn your lost friend, or worry about what might happen to Mary or Secondo in the next few hours. You wanted a moment to just exist, where you and your lover were the only things left.

He moved down your chest, leaving a trail of hot kisses as his hands worked your shirt away from you. He took his sweet time, his mouth wrapping around one nipple, teasing it with his teeth while he pinched the other roughly between his fingers. A pleased hum reverberated in his chest as your hips bucked against him.

“So needy, tesorino,” he whispered against your skin, his thumbs dipping under the waistband of the shorts he’d set aside for you. He jerked them away from your hips, carelessly tossing them over his shoulder in a subtle display of his strength that made your core ache for him.

A new chorus of pleading and begging fell from your lips as he pushed your knees apart and hooked your legs over his shoulders.

“Oh god,” you whimpered as he flicked his tongue across your clit.

“No, not god,” he corrected with a light slap against your ass.

The feeling of his fingers against your entrance chased away whatever thoughts you had in your head. He pushed two fingers inside, slowly drawing them in and out as his mouth worked at your clit. You were a writhing mess beneath him, tears forming in the corners of your eyes as he brought you closer to your end.

And then the smug bastard stopped and looked up at you. “Do you want to cum, tesorino?”

“Secondo, please,” you whined.

He curved his fingers, pressing against the spot inside you that brought your hips off the bed. “You forget who I am, tesorino,” he said with a grin and withdrew his fingers, making a show of sucking them into his mouth. “If you need something from me, you need to ask for it.”

“Please,” you whispered. You tried to squeeze your legs together to relieve the growing pressure, but he was too strong. He kept you where he wanted you, making you want him, need him that much more. “Baby, please,” you asked again, tears of frustration spilling from your eyes. “Will you please make me cum?”

He clicked his tongue and looked down at you. “What if I say no?”

A pathetic, needy whimper escaped you in response. A sound he smiled at all too happily as he grabbed your hips. You braced yourself, ready for him to return his mouth to your aching core, but he flipped you onto your stomach, tossing you around like it was nothing. He drew his fingers over your cunt, gathering slick as he dipped his fingers back inside you, adding a third this time. He pushed you back to the edge, watching as you grasped for the sheets before sliding his fingers back out. You let out a hollow groan that he quickly shushed and slipped his thick, heavy cock between your folds. You shuddered as his tip caught against your clit again and again before he finally lined himself up and pushed into you.

The stretch of him was something you hoped you’d never get used to, the way he claimed your body with his own. It was everything you needed; he was everything you needed, and you loved him so completely you hoped you’d have the courage to tell him. This was hardly the right time, so you swallowed it back down as he wrapped your hair in his fist. He fucked you hard just like you asked, relentlessly pounding into you as you came apart beneath him. His skilled fingers found your clit, toying with your nerves as you arched back against him. It didn’t take long for him to bring you to your end, grunting as you tensed around him. He pressed soft kisses into your shoulder as you rode out the waves of your orgasm, holding you tight to his chest until your body stopped shaking.

“Are you ok, amore?” he asked, lips ghosting over your neck. He leaned down to whisper into your ear. “Can you take more?”

You mewled and nodded, searching for the words to beg him to keep going. A soft “please” was all you could manage. He pulled out of you slowly, groaning at the feeling as his hands found your hips again and guided you onto your back. He bent down, catching your lips in a hungry kiss that was all tongues and teeth as he pushed back into you. He drew his hips back slowly, the drag of him torturous. He kissed every space of your neck he could reach, all the places that weren’t covered with bandages or marks healing slowly from his previous attacks. He urged your legs around him, thrusting deep into you to find that spot that felt so good you thought you might cry. He pushed against it over and over, his mouth crushing against yours as he fucked you slower than he ever had. His hips stuttered as your breath caught in your throat, that familiar pull building in your stomach.

He looked down, a filthy moan escaping as he watched your bodies connect. He pleaded with you, asking you to look at him, to cum for him as his pace picked up and his fingers dug into your hips. You threw your arms around his neck, bringing him down to press your forehead to his as you let go. He gasped softly, his eyes on yours as his muscles went stiff and he spilled inside you with a loud moan.

He kissed you again, lazily drawing his tongue over yours as you both struggled to catch your breath. He pulled out and rolled onto the bed next to you, draping his arm over your stomach and pulling you close with a tired smile.

“You are, you know,” he said softly.

“What’s that?”

He brought your hand to his chest. “Mio cuore.”

“You know you’re mine too, right?” you asked, barely fighting back the tears.

“I do, amore. It might be the only thing I’m sure of anymore.”

You turned to bury your face against his chest, mumbling into his skin. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Never,” he promised and kissed the top of your head.

Secondo pulled away from you carefully, checking to make sure he didn’t wake you as he climbed out of bed. He had felt restless for days now, an itch under the skin that only seemed to stop as long as he had his hands on you. But now it was no longer working, the worries too immense to bury by proximity to you alone. For the first time in hundreds of years, he had someone else to consider. He was more than happy about it, but he didn’t want you to feel smothered by his new need to be close to you. Especially with everything that had already happened.

He left you to sleep as he padded softly toward the kitchen, surprised by the faint light of the open fridge. He cleared his throat causing Copia to lean around the door and reveal his disheveled state. His hair was a mess, and his shirt was long gone, paints smeared to hell and back as he clutched a juice box in one hand and a block of cheese in the other.

“Buongiorno fratello,” he said in a scratchy tone. “Can’t sleep?”

“That stuff is for my human guests, you decrepit old man,” Secondo grumbled. He moved around Copia to fetch two rocks glasses and a bottle of whiskey from the nearby bar.

Copia shook his head. “I may be new to all of this, but I don’t think you should call your amore a ‘guest.’”

“Shut up and put the cheese back,” he huffed. Twisting the lid from the bottle, he tossed it aside and poured a glass for his youngest brother, setting it in front of him.

Copia returned the cheese to the fridge and closed the door behind him, the faint light disappearing as it snapped shut. He shuffled over, making a face as he sniffed at the amber liquid in the glass. “Eh—”

“Drink it old man.”

“You’re older than me,” Copia reminded him, grimacing as he chased the statement with a taste of whiskey. “Or does the girl make you feel young again?”

“What makes you think we’re going to talk about this?” Secondo groaned.

“What makes you think we won’t? It is nice to see you happy, fratello. It’s been a long time.”

Secondo shrugged and downed his whiskey in one go. “Could say the same for you.”

“Sì, the Countess has made me a very happy man,” he said with a dreamy sigh. “But that does not solve all my problems.”

The older man snorted. “Not enough room in your castle for two collections of capes?”

“She is young, fratello,” he said and clapped Secondo on the shoulder. “You know how new vampires are, hungry, impulsive. She’s fearless and I love her for that, but I also worry. A lot.”

“You and I both know she can take care of herself—”

“Sì, sì, I have no doubts about that, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying. Doesn’t stop me from loving her more than I love myself. It—love—changes you, fratello.”

Secondo said nothing as he poured himself another glass and swallowed it down as quickly as the first.

“Have you heard from Primo?” Copia asked, mercifully changing the subject.

“I couldn’t reach him. I left a message for him, but I don’t know where he is.”

“That’s—”

“It’s not something we need to worry about right now, fratellino.”

The elevator chimed, cutting off their conversation completely. Both men tensed, ready to advance on any intruder who might emerge. Instead, a drunken Terzo spilled out of the elevator, his bowtie and shirt undone with at least three distinct colors of lipstick around his collar and blood around his mouth.

“Uomini,” Terzo hiccupped and tucked a hand against his stomach as he bowed.

“Idiota,” Secondo ground out, rushing across the room to grab the smaller man. “You stupid, selfish bastard—”

“What did I do?” he squeaked, wrestling against Secondo’s hold.

Secondo shook his head and shoved his brother into the wall. “This city is full of vampire hunters, Terzo. You can’t possibly be this stupid.”

“Do I look dead to you?” he snapped back. “No? I look good and you two look like a couple of old, boring cunts.”

Copia sighed and shook his head, completely uninterested in engaging in Terzo’s games. “I’m going back to the Countess. Secondo, do you mind if I borrow that ice pack?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer as he fetched the small pack from the freezer. “My back is killing me.”

Terzo grinned widely. “Can’t keep up with your woman, old man?”

Copia narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t know the first thing about satisfying anyone but yourself, stronzo.”

Secondo smacked the back of Terzo’s head, sending him forward several steps. “Everyone go back to bed, for the love of Satan. Do not leave again.”

Terzo huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s fine, stronzo. I wasn’t—”

“Shut up and go to sleep or so help me I will put you out that window,” Secondo snapped, pretending not to hear Terzo’s smartass retort. Instead, he let his tired legs carry him back to the bedroom, back to you.

With every step he began to regret several moments of his long life. Buying this ridiculous penthouse with far too many bedrooms against Mary’s advice. Buying the SUV Mary hated driving. Severing whatever bond he’d had with his brothers while seeking his own independence and letting that same attitude grow enough to keep him from recognizing his feelings for you. Wandering away from you just before dawn in favor of an argument with those same idiot brothers. And being unable to protect you or Mina or Mary from the things that chased monsters like him in the dark. Maybe after all this he could take you away and live someplace quiet like his brothers did.

He was sure now he would do anything it took to keep you safe.

He slipped back between the blankets, pressing himself to you as close as he could manage. It didn’t do much to quiet his racing thoughts, new worries swirling around the old as you stirred just a little. You turned to face him, gracing him with that sleepy smile he used to daydream about. He pressed a kiss against your forehead as you nuzzled against him, seeking the safety and comfort of his touch. He couldn’t say it. He knew it wasn’t the right time after you stopped him before, but he would tell you soon.

The mattress dipped under the weight of your lover returning to the bed once again. He’d been so anxious while you slept, carefully and quietly leaving your side to return moments later. You assumed he was pacing again, taking long strides through the penthouse and back as he checked on the wellbeing of everyone else in the house. You could only hope it helped. You had no more calming words left to give him; you’d used them all on yourself.

But here he was, back by your side again. You were all too happy to shift closer and let him wrap his strong arms around you. When he didn’t, you rolled over hoping to ask if everything was ok. As you opened your eyes, you realized things were far from ok.

You threw a punch, your fist connecting with the intruder’s nose. Your vision was still blurred, bleary eyed from sleep and an extremely dimly lit room, but you could tell Secondo from anyone. And he didn’t wear silk pajamas.

“Oh, Satan’s dick!” Terzo wailed, a rush of dark blood pouring from his presumably broken nose. It spilled through his fingers, droplets soaking into the sheets. “Satanas, why, dolce?”

“What the fuck are you doing?” you screamed back at him, scrambling to get away. You fell over the far edge, your body hitting the floor with a solid thud.

“I was bored!” Terzo howled behind his hands. “There is nothing to do in this ugly grey box!”

“So what? You thought you’d try your luck with your brother’s girlfriend?”

“Satanas, no! One, he would kill me, and I am quite enjoying my eternal life, thank you very much. Two, I’m here to protect you, not take advantage of you—”

You jumped to your feet, frantically looking back and forth. “Why? Where is Secondo?”

“Eh—”

“You want me to break another bone?”

Terzo grinned widely, the blood from his nose now staining his teeth. “I see why he likes you.”

“Start talking,” you growled as you reached for the lamp on the nightstand.

“Ok, ok, ok,” he said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. “Secondo and the others…left.”

“What?”

“He didn’t want to wake you,” he explained, shaking his head. “The Countess tried to tell him it was a stupid idea, but Secondo doesn’t really listen to anyone. You know how he is. Unless he listens to you. Does he listen to you?”

You sank to the floor. “He just…left? Without saying anything?”

“Maybe he thought it was the only way he could go through with it?”

“Stop. Talking.”

“But how will I tell you about the note?” he asked and produced an envelope from his pocket with a Cheshire grin.

“Terzo,” you started slowly. “Has anyone ever told you how insufferable you are?”

He licked his lips. “What’s that mean?”

“It means even though we just met, I already want to kill you.”

“Take a number,” he said with a shrug. He tossed the note toward you, letting it fall onto the bed. “I’ll give you two some time alone.”

Terzo sauntered out of the room and closed the door behind him, unbothered by the trail of blood he left in his wake.

You fetched the note from the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor. You took a deep breath as you traced over the way Secondo had written your name in his overly elaborate penmanship. It was yet another thing about him that was a product of another time that he still carried around. All the things you’d pushed back, the things you’d left to ask him later were beginning to pile up and now you might never get those answers. You tried so hard not to think of it that way, but the fact was none of you knew who these hunters were or what they truly wanted. It made them dangerous and unpredictable even if your lover was a fucking immortal vampire.

You tore into the envelope, freeing the page inside.

Tesorino,

I am not saying goodbye, because this isn’t truly goodbye. I have lived many unhappy lifetimes alone only to find you in this one. I will come back to you, amore. I will always come back to you.

Tuo cuore, Secondo

PS Be patient with Terzo. He’s an ass, but he will fight for you just as hard as I will.

You felt your heart crack in your chest, a broken sob leaving your lips as you curled up on the floor. You didn’t have many tears left after the last few days, but you shed what you could before you pulled yourself up, determined to let that be the last sense of desperation you felt.

Secondo’s things lined the edges of his closet, still waiting for him in neat rows of black and green. You helped yourself to his wardrobe, dressing yourself like him as you had on Halloween to somehow make yourself feel better, before emerging from the room.

Terzo had dressed himself in the tuxedo again and draped himself lazily across the sofa with a bottle of wine and no apparent worries. He raised an eyebrow as you fiddled with one of Secondo’s watches, the band not suited to your wrist.

“Eh—”

“I don’t have clothes here,” you explained, cutting off whatever smartass thing he was about to say.

“The velvet suits you,” he said with a shrug. “I thought you lived here?”

“He really doesn’t tell you anything, does he?”

“No, but that’s nothing new. He’s always been like that—private. But he didn’t even tell the Countess you were here, so it’s not like my feelings are hurt.”

You managed a nod as you moved into the kitchen, uninterested in learning things about Secondo from Terzo’s perspective before you heard them from the man himself. Armed with a snack, you sat on the opposite end of the sofa, keeping your distance from Terzo and his bare feet. He held out the bottle of wine, offering it to you with a little wave.

“I’m good,” you said quietly.

“You’re sulking in your boyfriend’s clothes.”

“You say that like he went to the fucking store. He’s turning himself over to vampire hunters who apparently have some sort of poison that works on you to hopefully save his familiar and putting the rest of his trust in the Count and Countess to get him out of there. Why are you so fucking calm about this?”

“He also has Alpha and Omega with him.”

“Who the fuck is that?”

“My Ghouls,” Terzo stated simply. “Like I would just show up here empty handed? Please, bambina.”

“Ok, even if I knew what the fuck you were talking about—”

“Ghouls,” he snapped impatiently. “Are beings I summoned from hell to protect me—”

“Is that supposed to make me worry less?”

Terzo sat up and regarded you carefully. “He hasn’t…told you very much, eh?”

You sighed. “We haven’t exactly had time to talk about these things.”

He nodded once, pushing the bottle toward you again. This time you accepted. “What…how can I help? I cannot speak for him, but I do have some answers.”

You took a long pull from the bottle and swallowed hard. “Who are they?”

“Who?” Terzo asked.

“The hunters.”

“Oh, eh.” He shrugged, waving a noncommittal hand through the air.

“Ok, but do they call themselves something?”

“...Hunters?”

“Thanks for being so helpful Terzo!”

“What the fuck I'm supposed to stop eating them to ask them twenty questions?” he snapped.

“Well maybe there are more of them!”

“There's always more! Just a bunch of poorly dressed stronzos with pointy things. Boring. Who cares?”

“Terzo!”

“What? Bambina, I have lived many, many years. These hunters never worried me before, they will not worry me now.”

“But your brother—”

“Sì, mio fratello is a big, strong man who can take care of himself, always has. Do you think he will not fight harder now that he has someone waiting for him to return? Read a book.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” you screamed.

“What is the alternative?” he screamed back. “You get all worked up and worried and he comes back fine? You kiss and make up. It’s all very simple. Very boring. Why waste the energy?”

“You’re the worst.”

“Why? Because I don’t show my feelings the same way as you? I am here, bambina. Secondo called and I am here sitting with you, keeping you safe. Copia and the Countess came too. You’re not yelling at them for going!”

“But…he might—”

Terzo brought a gloved hand to your face. “No, bambina. No what if. He has you now and he will come back to you. I have never seen him so…eh,” he paused and waved his hand around. “Mittens.”

“Smitten?”

“Sì, sì, smitten. Me? I fall in love every day. Exciting, no? But Secondo?”

“Don’t. Don’t say it.”

He tilted his head. “He has not told you this?”

“That…that’s between me and him, ok?”

He sucked his teeth. “You’re unsure?”

You shook your head. “It’s not that. I know he—he cares about me. It’s just—you’re not who I want to hear it from. No offense.”

“None taken, bambina. But you should trust me when I say he will be back for you, ok?”

“I think we need more wine.”

“That I can help with!” he said happily and jumped up from the sofa.

Secondo parked behind the club, nervously tapping his fingers along the steering wheel as he searched the darkened lot. The place should have been completely empty, but there were a handful of nondescript trucks parked around Mary’s SUV, boxing it in.

“Take a breath, Twos,” The Countess ordered from the speaker phone.

He wasn’t sure where she and Copia had set up to keep an eye on him. The element of surprise was the only thing they really had going for them. He didn’t know how much these hunters knew about him or his family, whether they were expecting them or if they were stupid enough to think he’d come alone.

He hoped they were just cocky and stupid.

“You two all set?” he asked as he unclicked the seatbelt, letting it slide back into its housing.

“Yes,” Copia confirmed. “Eh, fratello?”

“Don’t start,” Secondo warned. “Alpha? Omega?”

“We’re set,” Omega said. “But are you sure we can’t just eat them?”

“Not until everyone is safe.”

“Fine,” Omega agreed.

He ended the call without another word, pocketing his phone before sliding out of the car. It was the first time he’d ever felt wrong approaching Idolatry. The building still sat unlit and empty of patrons, occupied now by who knows how many hunters. They swarmed like plague locusts, crawling over and destroying everything he’d worked so hard to build. Bits of broken glass crunched under his shoes as he made his way into the main stage area. Not a single mirror or light had been left untouched, everything smashed to hell like the hunters had taken bats to every inch of the place. The entire inventory of liquor behind the bar was gone, a rainbow of broken glass now floating atop a disgusting puddle of who-knows-what and a splash of Blue Curacao.

Mary was on the main stage, bound to the pole with a gag in their mouth. Some wretched little shit knelt beside them, shoving them as they spoke and taunting them with a large knife. The kid caught Secondo’s reflection in one of the busted mirrors, a sick grin spreading over his face as he turned to face the vampire.

“Holy shit. You really do paint your face like that? Like all the time?” the kid asked and jumped off the stage.

He couldn’t have been any older than twenty-four. Young. Cocky. Hopefully stupid too. Secondo had no fucking idea who he was.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Hunter.”

“I said who not what—”

“My name is Hunter,” the kid said slowly.

“A hunter named Hunter,” Secondo mumbled back. “Unbelievable.”

“That’s funny coming from a guy who runs around calling himself the Second.”

“Listen, you little shit—”

“Did you forget why we’re here, Mr. Emeritus? I’d be happy to gut your familiar if that reminds you.”

Secondo took a step back. “You can let them go. You have me now.”

Hunter laughed. “Did you really think that would be how this worked out? Neither one of you are going anywhere now.”

“Look, whatever your deal is Mary’s not a part of it.”

“Man, you really do love your little humans,” he said with a chuckle, shaking his head. “The problem here, Mr. Emeritus, is that I can’t use Mary to get what I want anymore—”

“Are you ever going to say what it is you want? Or are you just going to keep going on like a child?”

He shrugged. “You know, if this was my first dance you would probably be very intimidating, so don’t feel bad that it’s not working. But the thing is, you’re not the first vampire to threaten me. My sister and I have been doing this for a very long time.”

Secondo flinched. “Sister?”

A sinister smile crept across Hunter’s face. “You vampires think you’re the only ones who can keep secrets.”

Mary yelled something unintelligible against their gag as Secondo felt a sharp, stinging pain in the back of his arm. He dropped to his knees, the poison working almost instantly to weaken him. He felt a hand grab the collar of his jacket, jerking his head back to see just who had snuck up on him.

“Hey Bone Daddy,” Lucy said with a sneer before stabbing another syringe into his neck.

“Well, that was almost too easy,” Hunter said with a smirk. He hopped up on the stage and cut through the cable tie that held Mary to the pole. “C’mon buddy,” he snapped as he dragged Mary to their feet. “Let’s give these two some privacy, huh? How about we go and have a chat on the roof?”

Secondo watched helplessly as Mary struggled against the hunter. His veins filled with fire, whatever poison they’d discovered painfully burning its way through his system. Lucy knelt in front of him, a sick, satisfied smile on her face.

“Hurts, huh?”

“Fuck you,” he spat.

“No, see that’s what keeps getting you and your brothers in trouble. You keep finding these weak humans to become your pets. It’s kind of gross, honestly.”

“If you’re going to kill me, just kill me,” he groaned.

“Oh, don’t worry. We will. But not until we get what we want.”

“What is it you want? Why are you even doing this?”

She smiled again. “We’re going to destroy your whole family.”

“What?”

“Did you really think we wouldn’t know you’d bring your brothers here? After what you all did at that abbey you should’ve expected this. Did you think we wouldn’t set traps for them the same way we set traps for you? Honestly, Secondo this whole thing was far too easy. I think you’ve all gotten soft in your old age.”

His phone rang inside his pocket, finally shutting the girl up. He couldn’t move to answer it or stop her from fishing it out herself, his body no longer cooperating with his mind. Lucy offered another evil grin before holding the phone up to his face to unlock it, the Countess’ name scrolling across the screen.

“Twos? What the fuck? Where are you?” her voice was frantic, barely audible over Copia’s shouting. “Sec—” she broke off and let out a horrible, piercing scream.

Secondo’s stomach turned as Lucy ended the call, raising an eyebrow. “Oops.”

Terzo yelled something inaudible from Secondo’s closet as you climbed over the sofa to reach for the remote to the stereo. ABBA blared from the speakers surrounding the room, the product of too much wine and the vampire’s “need” to dance. You slipped and drunkenly fell to the floor, spilling an entire glass on the rug as you landed hard.

“What?” you yelled back, knowing he likely couldn’t hear you either. On the other end of the room, the intercom buzzed. The screen next to the elevator lit up, the camera downstairs now displaying a visitor. You squinted at the image but couldn’t make it out from where you were. You fought with the remote, finally silencing the Swedes as you climbed to your feet and crossed the room.

Lucy stood under the camera in the lobby, patiently waiting for a response from the penthouse.

“Hey Lucy,” you said into the intercom. “What are you doing here?”

She looked up at the camera, chewing on her bottom lip. “Bone Daddy said I’d be safe here. Didn’t he call you?”

“I must not have heard it. Come on up,” you said happily and pressed the button to call the elevator.

You wandered back to the kitchen to refill your glass, grabbing one for Lucy in case she wanted to join you. As the elevator chimed to note her arrival, you carried the drinks toward the doors, a silly grin on your face. When they slid open you dropped both, the fragile glass shattering on impact as you brought your hands to your face.

Secondo was slumped against some kid, his face and clothes covered in blood. The kid dropped him at your feet, the vampire unable to move to break his own fall as he and Lucy walked in like they owned the place.

“Lucy? What—”

“Hunter, shut her up,” she barked and grabbed Secondo by the collar, dragging his dead weight through the broken glass.

Hunter moved behind you, grabbing your arm as he forced you to the ground. “Do it,” he said into your ear. “Call for help.”

You shook your head, biting down on your lip to keep quiet. Your resolve lasted only a moment, breaking as soon as he pressed a knife into your skin. You screamed, howling in pain as your skin split under the pressure of the blade. Secondo twitched, trying to pull himself up to stop the kid from cutting into you. He collapsed on the floor again with a heavy thud, Lucy’s laugh ringing evilly in the air as you lost sight of her.

“Bambina,” Terzo sang as he emerged from the bedroom dressed in Secondo’s clothes. He stopped short as he spotted you bleeding in the hunter’s arms. “Who the fuck—AH!”

Tears pricked your eyes as Terzo sank like a stone, the ugly sight of a syringe sticking out of his neck now burned into your memory. Lucy bent down, grabbing a handful of his black hair to pull his head back up.

“You know, I really thought you might put up more of a fight, Terzo Emeritus. I’m almost disappointed,” she said with a click of her tongue.

Terzo grabbed her ankle and pulled, knocking her completely off balance. She fell hard, her face smashing into the floor with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed everywhere as she lifted her head, laughing as she spit out a tooth.

“That’s more like it.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Terzo growled, fighting hard against the poison.

“Oh, I’m Lucy and that’s my brother, Hunter.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

“Not at all, actually,” she confirmed and spat a mouthful of blood on the floor. “Now,” she said and placed her foot on Terzo’s back, forcing him to the floor. “Which one of you wants to tell us where Primo is?”

“Get fucked,” Terzo snapped. “Preferably with a cactus.”

“Primo?” Secondo asked weakly. “That’s what this is about?”

“Oh, I think we have a winner, Terzo.” Lucy left him on the floor and walked back to Secondo. She pulled him into a seated position and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Secondo, where is your brother?”

He shook his head. “Even if I knew, what makes you think I’d tell you?”

“Oh, my stupid little vampire man,” she sighed. “That might have been a possibility before you started fucking your accountant. But now you have a very human girlfriend who I can hurt a lot before she runs out of blood. Honestly, you made this insultingly easy.”

“Don’t,” he begged. “I don’t know where Primo is and hurting her isn’t going to get you an answer.”

“We’ll see.” She settled in front of you and pushed her fingernails into a cut on your arm, a horrible cry erupting from your chest. She clicked her tongue. “What do you think, Secondo? Should I pull out her fingernails or teeth first? I wonder which hurts worse?”

He shook his head wildly. “Please, I don’t know where he is. None of us do.”

“Hmm. That’s really too bad for your girlfriend,” she said with a false sadness, taking the knife from Hunter’s hand.

She pointed the tip just below your collarbone and pushed. A horrible, white-hot pain erupted from the spot, growing as the knife sank deeper into your chest. You couldn’t control the sound you made, an awful, wounded cry that was soon drowned out by Lucy’s own wail. Something warm and wet dripped onto your face, the scent of copper flooding your nostrils. You looked up, trying not to pass out from the pain as Lucy quickly jerked the knife from your chest. She swung the thing wildly, reaching for something beyond you. More blood spilled onto the floor, falling into the rhythm of your heartbeat.

Another vampire stood above you, his mouth and long white hair stained red, hanging over the familiar shape of skeletal paint. He pulled his teeth out of the remains of Hunter’s neck as his headless, lifeless body hit the ground. Lucy was screaming so loud you thought she would break all the windows, stopping only as the older vampire dropped the head of her brother in her lap.

You tried to crawl away, your hands slipping out from under you as they lost traction on the blood. Too weak to push yourself back up, too cold to move, you laid there helplessly trying to make sense of the scene around you. The vampire you didn’t know seemed unconcerned with Lucy’s presence, instead he moved through the room, a blur in your vision as he tended to the others with syringes of his own. Secondo dragged himself toward you as soon as he could manage, pulling you into his lap and asking you questions you didn’t understand. You felt something else hit your face, barely registering that your vampire was crying.

“Tesorino,” he whispered, holding you tight to his chest. “Mi dispiace tanto, amore mio. Ti amo. Ti amo.”

“I love you, too,” you whispered back. “Even if you are the worst.”

He cracked a smile, trying not to laugh. “Really? Now?”

“S’why you love me,” you slurred, struggling to keep your eyes open.

“Of course, it is, tesorino. And why I always will.” He kissed your forehead and tightened his grip even more. “But…I can hear your heart, mio cuore. If I don’t,” he paused to let out a shaky breath. “If I don’t… you’ll…”

“I want,” you tried weakly.

“It’s forever, amore,” he warned quietly.

“It’s forever with you.”

He bit into his wrist and pressed the wound against your lips. Thick, warm blood quickly filled your mouth. It was unlike anything you’d ever tasted. Not that metallic tinge you knew from biting your tongue or busting your lip. It was sweet like honey, as though you could taste how much he loved you, how he carried it with him always, his veins full of you. You drank it down, savoring every drop as he continued to profess his love, whispering adoration into your ear. Your heart stuttered painfully, kicking against your ribcage as it slowed to a stop, your vision going dark.

You woke up cradled in Secondo’s arms, pressed tight against his chest. You were covered in blood, just as you were when you’d passed out in his office all those weeks ago. Only this time, a lot of it was your own. Pain shot down your spine as your heart beat once, twice, and again, stuttering into a steady rhythm to pump a mixture of what was left of your blood with Secondo’s through your now-dead veins. Each wound burned down to a cellular level, your nerves and skin slowly stitching themselves back together to fill in the gaps left by the hunter’s knife.

You groaned, turning against your lover to find a less painful position. No respite was granted no matter how you situated yourself. Your jaw ached; your teeth felt brand new in your mouth, foreign and sore like a filling that needed to be grinded down. Fangs now jutted out of your gums, the edges sharp as any blade.

“Welcome back, tesorino,” he said softly and caressed the side of your face that wasn’t pushing into him. “How do you feel?”

You held onto him, breathing deep with a satisfied moan. Secondo’s cologne filled your nostrils as you rubbed your face against his jacket, the velvet fabric tickling your cheek. “I feel…everything.”

He ran a hand through your hair. “You will probably feel like that for a while, amore. Transition can be…intense.”

You flinched as you closed your eyes, everything too bright. “It kind of…hurts.”

“I know, amore. I’m sorry for that,” he whispered, his lips against your forehead. “But I think I can help you feel better. Would you like to try?”

You nodded as he placed a hand under your chin, tilting your face up so he could place a soft kiss on your lips. You tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away and set you against the sofa. His footsteps sounded like thunder in your ears, and you pressed your face into the fabric, trying to dampen it. You found more smells there, the fabric covering the cushions and the padding inside. You could smell the wood that composed the frame, down to the marks burned in by the manufacturers stamp. But there was something else under it, something acrid and familiar that made your stomach growl.

Oh, you’d never been so painfully hungry in your entire life. Even those times when you’d get too busy or simply just forget to eat never felt like this.

You turned your head, blinking hard as you tried to adjust to the light of the room. Secondo dragged Lucy toward you, ignoring her tearful pleas as he dropped her in front of you.

Blood.

You could smell blood.

You looked up at your lover, tracing a finger over your new teeth. He offered you a soft, fond smile.

“You should eat something,” he said as easily as he had when he would deliver those amazing croissants to your desk.

“You mean…?”

He nodded.

A low growl rumbled in your chest as you remembered Lucy’s face grinning happily as she stabbed you.

She tried to struggle, but Secondo placed his foot on her back, pinning her down. You crawled toward her, approaching slowly as you watched your prey. Pitiful, useless tears fell from her eyes as she begged you with words that didn’t make it far enough past your ears to be understood. It surprised you as much as her when your palm connected with her cheek. It surprised you less when your fist connected.

Her lip split against your fist just as Secondo’s had when she hit him. It didn’t make you even. Nothing she said or did could ever make up for trying to kill you, to kill Secondo. To kill his family. He looked on, a flicker of pride behind his eyes as you wrenched Lucy from the floor and dug your teeth deep into her neck. Blood filled your mouth, an odd mixture of bitter and satisfying tastes dancing on your tongue. It was different from Secondo’s; Lucy’s blood wasn’t filled with love for you, but you could somehow taste her life as you drank. Taste it flickering and fading as her heart slowed to a crawl and her whimpers turned to gasping breaths. You dropped her body there on the floor, discarding her as easily as she was willing to do to you. Trading her life for your own.

You closed your eyes, body shuddering as you licked the blood from your teeth.

“How do you feel now, tesorino?” Secondo asked, slightly amused.

A low growl rumbled in your chest as you scrambled across the floor, crawling over Lucy’s dead body to reach him. You grabbed at the waistband of his trousers, not bothering with the fastenings as you ripped the fabric apart. He let out a surprised sound as the seams ripped and fell away, leaving his half-hard cock hanging heavy in front of you.

“You like to watch?” you asked as you took him in your hand, slowly pumping his length.

“Only you,” he said with a grunt, letting his eyes close as his cock fattened up.

“Look at me then,” you commanded, waiting for him to obey. Slowly, his eyes met yours and he struggled to keep them open as you took him in your mouth. His hand shot into your hair, grabbing a fistful as you swirled your tongue around the head of his cock. You pulled off and grinned up at him. “Good boy.”

He let out a filthy moan as you swallowed him back down, working your mouth and hands over him as best as you could. His knees jerked as he hit the back of your throat, the hand in your hair tightening as you pressed your nose into the dark patch of hair at the base of his cock. You looked up at him, batting your lashes as tears formed at the corners of your eyes. You grabbed his hips and forced him down further, an absolutely unholy sound leaving your lover as you worked him over.

“Fuck, tesorino, amore, please,” he begged, stomach muscles tightening as he tried to fight his orgasm.

You hummed around him, granting the man no mercy as the salt of him hit the back of your tongue. He swore loudly as he spilled down your throat, his eyes still lovingly focused on you. His mouth hung open wordlessly as you swallowed his spend and you knew he was memorizing the image of you on your knees for him. He pulled away, his cock slipping from your mouth so he could reach down and pull you to your feet. He kissed you hard, unbothered by the taste of himself.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he whispered against your lips.

“I love you,” you whispered back. “So fucking much.”

He picked you up, throwing you over his shoulder to carry you into the bedroom, completely ignoring the carnage in the living room. He dropped you on the bed, shedding his shirt as he kicked off what was left of his pants. He crawled up your body, fingers quickly ripping the buttons of your borrowed shirt apart. You raised your hips, helping him to pull your bottoms from your body.

You cupped his face, bringing him down to kiss you once again. Your body felt electric, all your nerves sparking where he touched. He pushed your knees apart, settling between your legs as he moved his mouth to your neck. His thumb swiped over your clit as he bit down, placing a new bite over the freshly healed space. Moans left both of you as your blood filled his mouth, his hand still working quickly as he teased his fingers against your entrance.

As he pulled his mouth away, you shoved him onto his back, both of you surprised by your strength. You ground your hips against him, his cock already growing hard again beneath you. You swatted his hands away as he reached for you, pinning his wrists above his head as you bent down and sank your teeth into his neck. He moaned loudly, his hips jerking under you as you sucked at the bite. You moved and bit into the other side, wanting to hear him make that sound again.

“Amore, please,” he whined, lifting his hips again to gain more contact.

You pulled back and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at you. “If you need something from me, you need to ask for it.”

He raised an eyebrow as you repeated his words back to him. “You know I’m going to get you for this.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He swallowed hard. “Please, amore,” he said softly, pretending to struggle against your hold. “I need—oh—”

You rocked yourself over his length before he could finish the thought. Guiding his hands to your hips, you reached between your bodies and lined your entrance against his cock, slowly sinking down until he filled you completely. You threw your head back as you set a slow pace, pressing your hand against his chest to keep him still. You fucked yourself on his thick cock, all kinds of praise and swears falling from your lips as he looked up at you. His pupils were blown wide, eyes filled with a look so full of lust it almost made you cum on its own. That tight band formed in your stomach as you looked down and watched him push into you. He could tell you were close, bringing his thumb to your clit once again to roll over the sensitive spot as you moved a little faster. You chased the feeling until the band snapped and you came with a desperate shout.

He watched you come down, a lazy smile on his face as your body tensed against his. He pulled you down to rest against his chest, softly kissing your cheek as you struggled to catch your breath. He smacked your ass hard before grabbing your hips and thrusting deep into you. You mewled, holding onto him as he fucked up into you hard and fast.

“I told you,” he grunted.

“Harder,” you begged, your nails digging into his arms.

He slammed into you relentlessly, the wet sound of sex almost as loud as the filthy moans leaving both of you. You came again, almost without warning as he panted into your ear, his hand gripped tight around your throat. He followed soon after, a guttural sound rising from his throat as he gritted his teeth and emptied himself into you.

“I fucking love you,” he said desperately and pulled you up to meet his lips in a bruising kiss. “Ti amo, amore mio.”

“Mio cuore,” you hummed against him. “I love you too.”

Everything smelled like fire. The scent was overwhelming, consuming every sense until it was the only thing you knew. You tried to focus, eyes adjusting to the surrounding blaze as you blinked. Smoke stung your eyes as the wind shifted, carrying the smell right over you.

Idolatry was on fire.

Secondo joined you, a hand on the small of your back as a window burst somewhere from the heat. You brought a hand to your mouth, shocked by the sight, shocked by how calm he was. You could make out the figures of Copia and the Countess, silhouetted by flames as they danced to a song only they could hear. There were more forms on the opposite end of the parking lot, shapes you didn’t quite recognize accompanied by another scent you were growing too familiar with.

The smell was growing stronger now, wind whipping and soaking the scent into your hair just as the pools soaked into the parking lot under the piles of bodies.

The smell of blood and death surrounded you as the roof of your former workplace caved in.

Mary lit a cigarette, the flame of the lighter revealing smeared blood and gore all over their face. “Well, shit,” they said with a huff. “What do we do now, Boss?”

Secondo shrugged. “I have insurance.”

“Does it cover acts of murderous vampire hunters?” the older vampire you still hadn’t met asked, swatting bits of sinew from his pants.

“Probably qualifies as arson,” Secondo said with a wave of his hand.

The other vampire reached for your hand, carefully bringing it to his lips as he introduced himself.

“It’s such a shame we had to meet like this, piccolina. I am Primo,” he said and dipped into a bow. “The eldest Emeritus brother.”

“I’m—”

“Oh, I know who you are, piccolina,” he said, casting a glance at his brother. Secondo wrapped an arm around Mary’s shoulder and ushered them away, giving you and Primo space to speak privately.

“I’m sorry. He hasn’t really told me much about you.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He’s always been a little…secretive. Distant. Protective.”

“And you came to protect him.”

He nodded once. “He is my family. And now so are you.”

“Secondo’s not…in trouble for that, is he?” you asked carefully, remembering what Secondo had told you about Copia and the Countess.

Primo tilted his head and stared down at you. The resemblance was strong even under the paint; the vampires weren’t carbon copies—not in looks or personality—but they all seemed to carry themselves in the same way. Their mannerisms mirrored one another, from the way Primo looked at you now, to the flamboyant gestures of Terzo and Copia. You wondered where they all got it from, who they all got it from. If they would even tell you.

“He didn’t have much of a choice, did he?” Primo replied with a tap on your nose, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“No, I guess he didn’t.”

“He did his best to give you a choice, piccolina,” he said with a sigh. “Please remember that in the coming weeks. Becoming a vampire is not such an easy thing. But I knew the second he called asking about that recipe that it was only a matter of time.”

“What does that mean?”

Primo shrugged. “Perhaps nothing.”

“I’m not getting any answers out of you, am I?”

He smiled. “I can see why he likes you.”

“You two talking about me?” Secondo asked as he wandered back over. He wrapped his arms around you and grinned at his brother, the paint at the corners of his mouth cracking.

“You’re so full of yourself,” you shot back.

“Act like you don’t like it,” he whispered lowly in your ear.

“Get a room, Twos,” the Countess yelled over the distant sound of sirens. “Ooh, firemen,” she said a little too excitedly, clapping her hands.

“Dolce, you just ate ten men,” Copia reminded her.

“I just like firemen,” she pouted. No one missed the pleased smile that crossed Copia’s face.

“Now who needs a room?” Secondo asked, rolling his eyes. “We should go before they get here. I’m not explaining all these fucking bodies.”

“Hey,” Mary snapped. “They started it.”

“Yeah, what the fuck happened here?” you asked.

“Long story,” Mary, Copia and the Countess said in unison.

You shrugged and turned your attention to Terzo. He’d said nothing since the two of you had arrived, which seemed exceedingly strange given how mouthy he’d been from the moment you met. You wandered over to where he sat, two hulking figures in masks watching over him—his Ghouls.

“It’s fine, boys,” he said softly as they began to growl at you. He patted the cement next to him, offering you a seat. “Ciao, bambina.”

“You ok?”

“Of course! I am always ok,” he said with a fake smile.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Very convincing.”

He looked up and gestured for the Ghouls to step away before turning to you. “I am sorry I failed you today, bambina.”

“What? You didn’t—”

“You died and I did nothing to stop it.”

“That’s not true. You knocked at least two of Lucy’s teeth out.”

He huffed out a laugh and patted your hand. “I’m afraid that was not enough.”

“Terzo, I don’t think this day turned out how any of us planned. But I’m still here and I’m ok.”

“For now,” he scoffed. “This…isn’t an easy life, bambina.”

“Well, why don’t you let me worry about it?”

“If only it worked like that.” He jumped up and walked away quickly, snapping his fingers at the Ghouls. They followed him out of the parking lot and into the night.

“Amore,” Second said softly, settling next to you. “Yes, Terzo has always been that dramatic, but he is very capable of taking care of himself.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, tesorino. It’s over. We won. And you and I have forever between us now.”

You rested your head on his shoulder. “Are you going to be ok with that?”

“Of course, amore mio. But I’m not looking forward to finding another accountant.”

“Are you firing me?”

He hummed as he turned and caught you in a kiss. “I’d like to think it’s a promotion.”

“For your business that is currently on fire?”

He smiled. “Did you think this was my only club?”

THANK YOU AGAIN for your time and comments and likes and reblogs. I will be back and I'm bringing Terzo with me.

#my fic #papa emeritus ii x reader #papa emeritus ii fanfic #secondo x reader #secondo fanfiction #vampire secondo x reader #vampire secondo #ghost band fanfiction #the band ghost fanfiction #suck club forever

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coopigeoncoo · 1 year

Text

The Whole Dang Zoo

Pairing: Todoroki Shouto x Female Reader

Mentions: Female Reader, humor, fluff, nicknames, pet names, traditionally female animal nicknames, traditionally insulting animal nicknames, implied sex offscreen.

Summary: It wasn't hard for Todoroki Shouto to start using pet names. What was difficult was figuring out when he should stop.

"A rat, Todoroki? You called your girlfriend a rat?" Mina screeched in disbelief.

"They're actually very intelligent and clean animals."

Continue reading below, or follow the link to Ao3!

Back during his early days at UA, Shouto had to learn to navigate a great many new things: friendships, rivalries, and the beguiling labyrinth of unspoken social conventions involved with human interaction.

Shouto liked to think that he learned from his mistakes and adapted quickly. He no longer heated leftover fish in the communal microwave and only needed an occasional reminder that people found it intimidating and not a sign of intense interest when he maintained eye contact for extended periods of time without blinking.

But some situations proved more difficult for him to navigate than others because he simply did not have the appropriate context to frame them with. So when fliers appeared on the bulletin board by the front door of Heights Alliance advertising two different events happening at the same time, he simply chose the one that appealed to him more; a relaxing movie night in over a round of laser tag at a local arcade.

Shouto hadn’t even considered the possibility that these events had been organized with strict gender boundaries in mind because using any attendance criteria other than interest seemed wildly illogical. So when he appeared in the doorway of dorm lounge that weekend, clad in his comfiest pajamas and bearing a small caddy of his usual hair products as the flier requested, there was only a brief moment of shocked confusion on the girls part before they cheered loudly and guided him over to a huge nest of blankets on the floor.

Hagakure shared her lip mask with him, Ashido painted his toenails a stunning Prussian Blue, and Yaoyorozu had generously lent him use of her head so he could follow along with Uraraka's instructions on how to make a reverse fishtail braid. He'd had an incredibly lovely evening with the girls and had unknowingly chosen his side of the class gender divide. His unwitting decision was validated hours later when the rest of the Class A boys returned to Heights Alliance sopping wet and sporting a wide variety of injuries, from Bakugou's split lip to Kaminari's incredibly swollen double black eyes. Shouto watched them shuffle miserably, many sporting pronounced limps and moaning in pain while he snuggled down deeper into a fuzzy sherpa throw and sipped contentedly on a cup of lavender tea.

Sero broke away from the pack and stumbled into the kitchen, pulling a can of milk tea from the fridge before trudging towards Shouto, his wet socks squelching inside of his house slippers with every step. He held the can out to Shouto's left side with a pleading grin.

"Can you heat this up for me, man? It's been a long night."

Shouto took the can and steadily increased the temperature of his palm, gently heating the tea up and returning the can to Sero, who thanked him profusely before collapsing onto the couch with a groan. Sero popped the top of the can open and took a fortifying sip before rolling up the legs of his sweatpants, revealing large welts running up both of his legs.

"You look terrible," Shouto stated blandly. "What even happened tonight?"

"Well, uh- we thought it would be funny to throw Bakugou into a river," Sero laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. "And in our defense, it was! What happened after was way less amusing though."

"Oh? What happened after?"

"Bakugou made us regret throwing him into a river."

"Ah," Shouto said, examining a particularly wicked looking bite mark under Sero's knee. "That would do it."

From then on, Shouto was 'one of the girls' and joined them for their regularly scheduled activities. Shopping trips, smoothie runs, cookie decorating classes, Survivalist Training, volunteer dog walking, and plenty of movie nights on the days they were too tired to venture out into the city.

As the years passed and their responsibilities as Heroes increased they still did their best carve out time to meet up once a month when their schedules allowed. Sometimes only two or three of them would be available, but tonight was one of the rare nights when the stars had shifted into an auspicious arrangement (Shouto was unsure exactly about what celestial positioning that was, but Mina would likely explain it to him if he asked) and Shouto found himself once again reunited with all the Class A girls in Jiro's apartment.

Toru had been the last to arrive, toting along a large bag stuffed full of DVDs she had picked up at a rental shop near the station.

"Sorry I'm late!" She called, pulling out the DVDs and laying them down on the coffee table for everyone to peruse as they filtered in from the kitchen with drinks and snacks. "The station was crazy packed and I had to wait forever for an open car to show up!"

"Oh yeah, they shuffled everyone over from the circle line because of damage from a villain attack during rush hour," Ochako mused, tapping the cover of a romantic comedy excitedly with her finger. "This one, I think. I've wanted to see it for ages and missed it when it was in theaters!"

"That was when we got shipped over to New Zealand for the summer, right?" Tsuyu asked, snagging the DVD with her tongue so she could read the plot synopsis on the back cover. "Hmm. Looks fine to me. The run time isn't too long so I wouldn't be late getting home. What do you think, Shouto?"

Without sparing a glance at the cover, Shouto simply nods his acquiescence. "What we watch doesn't matter to me. I'm just here for the company," he said, ladling up mulled wine into a mug from the pot simmering on the stovetop.

Jiro groaned miserably as she plopped down into an overstuffed armchair. "I tried watching a Rom Com with Denki and he just made farting noises anytime someone's butt was on screen. Shouto just stands in my kitchen and talks about how the best part of watching a movie is my presence and I just- ugh!" Jiro screeches, solidly punching a throw pillow. "It's. Not. Fair! It should be illegal to be so sweet, Shouto!"

Toru paused, a handful of popcorn floating forgotten as she pulled out her phone. "Jiro is right. I have to report this crime on Hero Net. I'm sorry, Shouto. You're going to be a wanted man now," she tsked sadly, typing on her phone one handed.

Shouto furrowed his brow. "I wasn't wanted before? Then what was that "Most Desirable Man" award all about?"

Jiro decided to stop punching the throw pillow and opted for screaming into it instead.

Ochako shook her head, laughing. "Your girlfriend is so lucky, Shouto!"

"You think so? I worry sometimes," he sighed, rounding the back of the couch and taking his traditional spot on the right side of the couch with his warm side facing in for when one of the girls inevitably sought to warm up their chilled feet against him.

"Really?" Tsuyu prodded, sitting down next to Shouto. "What about?"

"Well, she's my first girlfriend. I just worry that maybe I'm not doing all the things she's expecting me to do?"

"Do you go down on her?" Mina asked as she popped the DVD into the player.

"Often," Shouto nodded. "And with gusto."

"Good man," Momo said, patting his shoulder firmly as she passed by on her way back to the kitchen to refill her mug.

"Pft, don't worry then! She's fine," Mina assured him, dropping onto the ground by Ochako's feet.

"Sometimes I wish that I had more experience. Maybe if I had dated someone else before her then I wouldn't be so worried about accidentally ruining everything," Shouto sighed.

“First relationships are definitely rough,” Ochako agreed. “But it’s not like you’re going in alone, we’re all here to give you advice if you need it!”

“Maybe they are,” Tsuyu mused. “But don’t ask for my advice. I’m a disaster in relationships. But I will take you out drinking if you break up though.”

“That’s a horrible offer and I hope I never have to take you up on it.”

Tsuyu shrugged and sipped her wine. “Eh, it’s there if you need it.”

“Ignore her!” Jiro shouted, her face flushing increasingly as her mug emptied.

“Yeah!” Ochako agreed. “Oh! Maybe you’ll get some ideas from watching the movie- like vicarious experience!”

“Do you think that would work?” Shouto asked, critically examining the smiling couple freeze-framed on the DVD menu.

Ochako shrugged. “We won’t know if we don’t try. Momo, hit play!”

By halfway through the movie everyone was well into their cups; laughing too hard at the trite one-liners and swooning every time the main couple made intense, unblinking eye contact with each other.

“When I do that people complain I’m intimidating them,” Shouto grumbled.

“It’s different when you're in love,” Momo sighed.

“Shh!” Mina hissed at them. “The best part is coming up!”

Everyone leaned in towards the screen, rapt with attention, as the couple drew close together, their lips a hair's breadth from touching.

‘Who could have predicted that the accidental fire at your pie factory would lead us here?’ The woman sighed dreamily, staring up into her co-star’s face.

‘It’s funny that it took losing all those desserts for me to discover something even sweeter,’ The man said, running a perfectly manicured hand across her cheek.

“That isn’t funny at all. People could have died in that fire,” Shouto chided.

“Shh!” Mina shushed him again.

‘You think I’m sweet, do you?’ The woman giggled.

‘I do. Why don’t you come over here and give me some of that sugar, Kitten?’

Shouto hadn’t been expecting the high-pitched squeals that the girls let out in cacophonous unison and was quite startled by their vocal response.

“Are you all okay?”

“Yes,” Toru sobbed. “It’s just- the pet names.”

“The…pet names?” Shouto asked, befuddled.

“The names you call people when you’re in love,” Momo explained.

“When used correctly, pet names can trigger deep emotional and physical responses,” Tsuyu clarified.

“Like ‘Kitten’?” Shouto questioned, his voice caressing the new term gently.

Jiro screamed into her misery pillow once again while Mina patted her leg comfortingly.

“Yeah,” Mina sighed. “Just like ‘Kitten’.”

The radio played softly in the background while you ran an impatient finger down your phone screen, desperately scrolling in an attempt to figure out where exactly the unnecessary backstory ended and the recipe actually began. Distracted on two fronts, you didn’t realize you were no longer alone in your apartment until two arms wound themselves around your waist, pulling you backwards and away from the kitchen counter with a firm tug.

“Woah!” you say, startled as your back impacts Shouto’s chest. “Hello, there! I didn’t realize you’d come in! I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

“A few of the girls have to be at work first thing in the morning, so we finished up earlier than we normally do.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. I know it’s hard for you all to coordinate everyone’s schedules.”

Shouto hummed in agreement, dropping his head down into the juncture of your neck, his lips barely hovering above the surface of your skin.

“Speaking of schedules, how’s the rest of your night looking?”

You spare a glance towards the counter where a handful of ingredients for dinner are waiting for you to chop and measure. “Well, I was going to cook dinner, but I haven’t started yet.”

“So, you have some time?” he whispered huskily, pressing his lips gently onto your shoulder.

Giggling, you reach a hand back and thread it through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Maybe I do. You have a specific activity in mind?”

“Nothing in particular,” he said, hand wandering under your shirt to stroke the soft skin of your belly. “Just wanting to spend some time with my girlfriend. Is that okay with you, Kitten?”

“Oh, yes,” you gasp, breath catching at the whispered endearment. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

Grinning madly, Shouto swept you up into his arms and carried you down the hallway towards the bedroom.

Sunlight was just beginning to creep in through the cracks between your curtains and the wall when you felt Shouto's lips press gently against your forehead once, twice, three times with a devastating softness that tickled your skin.

"Shou?" You mumbled, using clumsy fists to rub the sleep from your eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

"Mmkay," you agree readily, already snuggling back into your pillow.

"I'll see you later, Duckling," Shouto whispered sweetly, closing the bedroom door behind him with a gentle click.

"...Duckling? Wha' happened to Kitten?" You muse briefly before the creeping fingers of sleep on the edges of your consciousness drag you back into their grasp.

That Saturday you're out shopping at a flea market on the weird side of town when you saw it; an obviously unlicensed Endeavor figure with a hilariously misprinted face. His wobbly oval eyeballs stared off into wildly different directions and his lip color was offset enough that it looked like he was sticking his tongue out in distaste. You snap a picture of it and immediately text it to Shouto, moving to pocket your phone when it begins to ring loudly.

"Hello?" You greet, pressing the phone into your shoulder with your ear as you spin the Endeavor figure around in your hand, snorting when you realize that the body was actually recycled from an All Might figure and painted over with Endeavor's costume colors.

"I don't care how much that figure is. Buy it."

"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling right now?" You laugh, raising a hand to flag down the vendor before fishing around in your purse for your pocket book.

"I'm with Denki right now and he agrees that this is much more important. Hold on-," shuffling filters in from Shouto's end as he moves the phone around. "Denki says to give you his regards and to buy as many of those Endeavor figures as they have."

"Tell Chargebolt I say 'Hello'. And there's just the one figure, I'm afraid."

"Damn. Well, that's okay. It'll make a great gift for Natsuo."

The sudden sound of screeching tires fills your ear and you distantly hear Chargebolt yelling Shouto's name.

"I have to go now, duty calls. I'll talk to you later, Mongoose," Shouto says quickly, ending with a wet smooching sound before he hangs up.

You stare at the screen of your phone dumbly, Shouto's profile image smiling gently at you from his contact page.

"'Mongoose'?" You utter, completely baffled by the nickname as you clutch the dopey Endeavor figure tightly to your chest and wander distractedly to the next market table.

Your coworker sat across from you in the restaurant booth, rolling utensils up into napkins and sealing them with little paper rings while you worked on wiping down a large stack of sticky laminated menus.

"Okay, 'Duckling' was sweet, but I agree that being called 'Mongoose' is a little odd," she agreed, dropping her completed napkin rolls into the plastic bin beside her.

"Right? But those aren't even the weirdest ones! Just in the last week I've been a puffin, an armadillo, a fruit bat, and a chinchilla!"

"Chinchillas are cute," your coworker pointed out, rubbing at a water spot on a spoon with a spare napkin.

"Yeah, I didn't mind that one," you agree, spraying cleaner onto a menu. Your cell phone, stowed safely in the pocket of your apron, buzzed sharply as a new text rolled in. Bypassing your lock screen, you quickly examine the new message before groaning loudly and flipping the phone around for your coworker to see.

'Look, it's you!' The message from Shouto proclaimed right above an attached picture of a droopy-faced blobfish.

"Huh. I think I'm starting to get a little offended on your behalf."

The part-time worker, a somber and unexcitable teenager, was sweeping close to your table and you beckon her over. She pulls out her left earbud as she approaches your table, leaning heavily onto the broom at her side.

"What do you make of this," you ask, holding the phone up in front of her face. "I need a second opinion."

She examined the message carefully before leveling you with a serious stare.

"I think that Todoroki Shouto could call me the meanest, nastiest, names under the sun and I would still write him a thank-you card and take him to meet my Grandma the next day."

You and your coworker pause, considering her words.

"She's right," your coworker nodded, resuming her utensil rolling.

"Oh, yeah." you agreed, responding to the blobfish picture with a shower of emoji hearts. "One-hundred percent. Thanks for your perspective!"

The part time girl nods before stepping back towards her dust pile, pushing her earbud back into place.

"Anytime."

It had been a couple of months since Shouto had been able to make it to Girls Night, having been caught up repeatedly testifying in a long running criminal trial. It was a smaller gathering this time, just him, Mina, Ochako, and Momo crammed around a small Cafe table with flights of coffee lined up in front of them.

Mina sipped from a particularly dark brew, cringing at the bitter notes and quickly pushing it in front of Ochako for her to dispose of. Ochako smiled gleefully, picking up the relinquished mug and adding it to her collection of beverages.

"I'm so glad that you were able to join us tonight, Shouto," Momo said, spooning a helping of sugar into one of her cups of light-roast. "You've been so busy these past few weeks we've barely heard from you at all."

"I know," Shouto sighed. "Work has been crazy and I've been spending all my free time over at Emu's apartment."

Ochako choked on her coffee, coughing wetly as Mina thumped soundly on her back with a flat hand.

"Ah, 'Emu'?" Momo inquired with wide eyes.

"My girlfriend," Shouto replied, picking up the next cup of coffee to try.

"You- you're calling her Emu?" Ochako sputtered, still hacking into her arm.

"It's kinda' cute," Mina said, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. "Unusual, but cute. I mean, it's not like he's calling her Whale or Pig, right?"

The girls all laughed while Shouto shifted uneasily in his chair.

"What's wrong with Whale or Pig?" Shouto asked with a tight voice.

"Well, calling someone a whale implies that you think that they're overweight. And calling someone pig means that you find them disgusting."

Shouto's eyes widened and he made a pitiful whining sound deep in his throat.

"Oh, Shouto! Please tell me you didn't-" Momo begged.

"I did," he groaned miserably, dropping his head down into his hands.

"You can't just call your girlfriend random animals! There's precedent for choosing appropriate pet names!" Mina shouted, aghast at Shouto's unwitting faux pas.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that? I thought you just picked whatever animals you thought were cute!"

"You think whales are cute?" Ochako questioned.

"They have very soulful eyes!" Shouto shouted defensively, pulling out his phone and navigating to the past month's texts, pushing the device into Momo's hands.

"Read through here and tell me how badly I've messed up," Shouto begged.

"I'm sure it isn't that bad," Momo said comfortingly, scrolling down through the chat log and sharply wincing.

"What? What is it?" Mina called out.

"Ah- he called her a Cow. And a Rat."

"A rat, Todoroki? You called your girlfriend a rat?" Mina screeched in disbelief.

"They're actually very intelligent and clean animals!"

"Oh, God," Ochako moaned into her hands, mortified on your behalf.

Shouto whined pitifully and dropped his head onto the table with a loud thunk, barely missing a steaming mug of Arabica blend while the girls patted his arms and cooed comforting assurances as he wallowed.

Pulled from the bathroom by thundering knocks on your apartment door, you peer cautiously through the peephole before undoing the security chain and multiple deadbolts that had been securing your apartment for the night.

"Shouto? What are you doing here?" You ask with concern as you gesture for him to come inside. He was in a state of absolute disarray; his hair messed uncontrollably and panting for breath.

"Here," he wheezed breathlessly, pushing a half-wilted bouquet of hydrangeas and daisies into your arms. "I'm sorry they aren't better. The only place open this late was the convenience store by the laundromat and these were the only flowers they had."

Cradling the sickly bouquet delicately in your arms, you raise a hand to Shouto's face, cradling his cheek gently.

"They're lovely, Shouto. Thank you for thinking of me. But you didn't come by my apartment this late just to give me flowers, did you?"

Shouto clutched your hand to his cheek as he shook his head. "No, I didn't." He took in a deep, shuddering breath as he gazed at you desperately. "It has recently been brought to my attention that I have made a grave error in regards to how I address you."

"How you address- Oh! Is this about all the nicknames you've been giving me?"

He closes his eyes, wincing deeply as he nods. "I didn't realize that some animal names held derogatory connotations. I ran over here as soon as I realized how unintentionally cruel I've been. I couldn't stand the thought of you going a single minute longer thinking that I didn't cherish and appreciate everything about you."

"Oh, Shouto," you laugh. "Thank you for the apology, but I figured all that out pretty early on."

"You did?"

Humming in agreement, you press yourself into Shouto's embrace, resting your head against his sharply jutting clavicle. "You don't have a malicious bone in your body, Todoroki Shouto. It was pretty obvious that you were being sweet. Strange, but definitely sweet."

He sagged against you, awash with relief.

"Thank goodness," he sighed, pressing kisses to the crown of your head as he looped his arms around you. "I was so worried you were going to leave me."

"Please, it will take more than a few mildly insulting animal names to get rid of me."

He snorted into your hair. "I'm sorry I called you a Cow. And a Pig. And a Rat. And a Whale."

"Hey now, whales have very soulful eyes."

"Thank you!" Todoroki exclaimed. "That's what I was trying to tell the girls!"

Giggling, you wrap your arms around his neck and draw him backwards towards the couch.

"Speaking of the girls," he said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a folded sheet of paper. "They helped me come up with this list of triple vetted, pre-approved, pet names that I can use."

You take the list from his hand, opening it up and scanning the contents before balling it up and tossing it over your shoulder.

"Hey," Shouto protested. "We worked hard on that list!"

"And I appreciate that effort, I truly do. But I don't want my nickname to come from Uraraka or Ashido. I want my name to come from you."

"Yeah?" Shouto beamed, letting you pull him down onto the couch so you were both lying together, him hovering above you while you discarded the bouquet with a gentle toss onto the coffee table.

"Uh-huh. Think about it; there are probably thousands of Kittens and Bunnies in Musutafu. But I'm willing to wager that I'm the only Blobfish."

"You're definitely my only Blobfish," Shouto laughed, pushing your cheeks together so your face was squished and puffy just like your animal namesake.

"Schtooop!" You sputter out from your smushed up fish lips, laughing.

"Not until I've kissed these irresistible Blobfish lips," Shouto said, sucking in his cheeks and making a fish face of his own as he lowered his mouth towards yours, your distorted lips slotting together bizarrely. He pulls back with an exaggeratedly wet smack, finally releasing your face back into your control.

"Oh, that was awful," you lament, swiping at the saliva smeared across your face from your sloppy fish kiss with the hem of your shirt.

"Yeah," Shouto agreed, wiping at his own face with his shirt cuff. "That was really bad. Let's never do that again."

"Agreed."

He pulled you close, running a tender finger down the slope of your nose, tapping the tip playfully. "You're still my beautiful Blobfish though."

"Whatever you say, my wonderful Walrus."

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki shouto x you #shouto todoroki x reader #shouto x you #shouto x y/n #mha x reader #mha x you #mha x y/n #pigeoncoos🕊#bnha x reader #bnha x you #bnha x y/n

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linked-maze · 6 months

Note

It's important to make the distinction that tagging when making a post and tagging when reblogging a post have separate functions. Tagging when making a post is for reach, and effects where your post shows up in tumblr/tagged/. Tagging when reblogging is for personal organization on the level of individual blogs and users (and has no effect on the tumblr wide searches)(and everyone organizes their blogs differently too, and with different tags!). "Don't tag other linkverse creations as LU" is a separate argument than "Don't tag LU and linkverse AU content as every single loz game." I agree that the broader tagging system should be like a library and that it's annoying when people tag every loz game for art that is only about one. When it comes to linkverse aus though, as far as I'm aware, no one is making Linked Universe content and tagging it as Linked Maze or vice-versa. That would be a problem! But it's not the problem we have. Library anon is calling for retaliation on the wrong issue.

Creators wanting people to use specific tags (the "Don't tag other linkverse creations as LU" argument) is for tagging reblogs. I personally think it's a little bit of an overstep of boundaries to tell people how to organize their own blogs, but I also understand that it would sting to have my art organized as something it's not.

I also think that it would be malicious to reblog-tag LU fanwork purposefully as things they are not, when the people reblog-tagging linkverse au work as LU are most likely doing it because they don't know better. Make an announcement, or let them know, or block them.

I don't think it's right to want to punish fanwork creators who aren't involved. Em of Bonus Links made LU content before making their own AU, Mina first posted her Link designs saying that "Linked Universe is cool as hell", you've made LU fanwork too. imo let's not punish the people making art of things they enjoy. That goes for the au creators and au fanwork creators alike.

tags here on Tumblr are not just to library your things- it's something people read, like comments and such. (at least I do, and many others) and don't worry I would never go around tagging things wrong to get back at them (if I had said that then I think it was very much a joke XD Sorry about that)

#i believe that the people making these aus and then getting tagged wrong have a better understanding of how frustrating it can be

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zarvasace · 1 day

Text

Unofficial LU Fanzine: call for mods!

Hey everyone! The interest check (at this post) was a success—we got a whole 78 responses, which is actually way more than I expected! However, that IS more people than I can handle on my own, and from my experience, making decisions for stuff like this is easier with a small group of people with an aligned vision.

So, before we announce any final themes, specs, or timelines, I would like to gather a small team to work with on this! I have three main requirements: 18+, comfortable using discord, and trustworthy through the project's duration (likely about 1 year). Previous experience with zines/fan events, and familiarity with the fandom, is a plus but not a requirement. I've come up with a list of roles that I'd need help filling and a tentative scope of time, which you can find after the cut, along with the link to the form.

Please apply if you're interested! The more mods we have, the more contributors we can have, too, and the better this project will be. :)

This form is open until Wednesday, May 15th, 2024.

My Core Vision:

I want to put together a Linked Universe-themed physical book that contains passionate examples of art and writing and other crafts from the community, along with a PDF version of the same, all offered at a price designed to reach as many people as possible and potentially donate to a charity. The intention is to have preorders open in late 2024 or early 2025.

Roles I need filled:

Social presence/marketing manager (Will put together posts, graphics, tags, and schedule.)

Finances manager (I'm a bit lost on this.)

People manager (To help send emails and manage customer service issues.)

Group mom/creative partner (To fill in the gaps we find, and help me make some decisions.)

Process:

You send in your answer to the form. This form will accept responses until May 15, 2024, about two weeks.

I'll review responses and reach out to everyone who responded with either an acceptance or rejection. There's no specific rubric for this, I admit. I will look at concrete qualifications and try to pick people who work well together and with me. :)

I'll ask for an acceptance response from those I want to gather!

We gather in a discord server! My plan is to have a list of things to discuss and decide professionally, but hopefully friendly too.

Using the power of teamwork, we come up with details for the rest of the zine and announce it formally!

I do ask for a bit of personal information on this form (if you're over 18, time zone, etc.) All of the information here will stay private. I am not associated with any official LU channels. I am not in the discord server. You can DM me with more specific questions or concerns. :)

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #fanzine #lu fandom #lu fanzine #charity zine

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thecatduet422 · 1 year

Text

Chapter Three: Blood of the Dragon

Dragon King!bakugou katsuki x reader

Taglist: @genderfluid-anime-goth @iam-thevillain-of-thisstory @nnubee @reddriot

Rating: Mature

Tags: violence, blood, dragons, its wartime babes so people might get booboos, romance, sexual tension, medieval politics, northern!reader, knight!midoriya

Summary: With the fury of winter on the precipice, and food provisions deathly short, you have no choice but to represent your House and speak with the Dragon King. The only problem is your Houses have been at odds for centuries, and the fearsome Dragon King is not exactly easy to convince... (GoT-inspired AU)

A/N: Also, highly recommend @vampyrsm's forbidden flame series!

Chapters: 3/? (20,590 words)

AO3 LINK

Chapter One Chapter Two

Some translations for this chapter: *Dragons: Kanibaru = Cannibal, Kinba = Gold Tooth, Shiroi Tsubasa = White Wing. *Commands (taken directly from GoT): Dracarys = Dragon fire, Rybas = Focus, Naejot = Forward, Dohaeras = Serve, Umbas = Wait

Chapter Three: Blood of the Dragon (12.4k)

Darkness…

An echoing song…

Can't breathe…

You woke up gasping for air, only to be greeted by the sun shining its inferno through the lazy breeze of the curtains that guarded you. The silk sheets wrapped around you slipped across your skin like water as you entered into the morn, nightmare temporarily forgotten.

How useless, you thought suddenly. What’s the point of a blanket if not to keep you warm?

You roughly kicked the sheets off you, finding them to be a total hindrance. But then as soon as you did it, you felt strange. Almost vulnerable in a way, not unlike when you were on the boat, abandoning your extra layers of clothing.

You’ve been guarding yourself against the outside for as long as you could remember. To meet it head-on, bare skin to sun, it felt like you were heading into battle with nothing but a horse.

And how the southern heat seemed to target you, causing you to sweat constantly . You were always fighting off against the gross feeling as your body struggled to adjust to the new land.

You missed the cold air of the North, the smell of the grass, the sound of your little brother’s laugh. You missed the peace of the whispering woods, the roars of laughter in the Hall, the secluded comfort of the library. You missed home.

And yet, The Dragon King insisted you stay.

“Until we both see fit," he had said.

Well, you saw fit to leave once the agreement was signed. That seemed to be the sensible thing to do. Your business would be done, so why stay?

And what was taking the contract so long? Surely, it must be done by now…

"We're gonna do it right this time… We reform our relationship, and in return, our alliance…"

Reform our relationship…

Something about that itched your mind, like the tune of a song you couldn't quite remember. Like any other trueborn of the North, the history of the Great Blacksmith has been engraved into your head. The tale of him and the Dragon Queen is very much a repeated one, back at home at least. But you imagined it would be popular in the Southlands too…

Does the King mean to…

No. Of course not.

You take a deep breath in, smelling the sweet smoke that was slowly beginning to waft into the room.

“To cover the smell of dragon,” Lady Mina explained to you.

Apparently, the dragon caves weren’t far from the city, and the wind tended to drift the stench over. You smelled it more than a couple of times now; fire, soot, and something else you couldn’t place. The best way you could describe it was wet dog , and yet you knew that wasn’t right. Either way, it wasn’t exactly offensive, not when you’ve spent your entire childhood around livestock. Besides, you thought the incense more than did its job. Whether it was the soft floral scents of jasmine, sweet pea, and lilac or one of the stronger, spicier scents of cinnamon, clove, and frankincense- they all seemed to give you a jolt of energy, giving you the muster to start the day.

And already there was Lady Mina, ready to start with you as she walked across the other side of the room, lighting the perfumed sticks as she went, soft tendrils of smoke marking her path like footsteps.

“Morning, Lady Mina,” you greeted, ignoring your slight unease.

You almost forgot that it was normal, a lady’s maid waking you up, helping you get ready for the day. And as more servant ladies walked in with clean linens, fresh tea, and food, you found your stubbornness winning over.

“You know, I’m perfectly capable of getting ready on my own-”

Lady Mina easily countered with a wave of her hand. “Nonsense! You're our guest . Besides, you brought no maids of your own.”

She shrugged nonchalantly, as if it weren't a problem, but you still found yourself squirming with embarrassment. Was it considered unethical, not bringing any maids with you? It’s not like you had a choice. The outlook of the war forced your lady mother to dismiss them all.

"Knights and guards must be placed over butlers and maids, sweetling. Can’t you see?"

And for a tiny moment, an arrow of sorrow punctured your chest as you remembered your goodbye to Jirou, your lady-in-waiting and best friend. The sad look in her eyes as you told her to pack up her things and go home…

A breakfast tray interrupted your memory, pulling the arrow along with it. As the tray was delicately placed over your lap, you were greeted with a mouthwatering assortment of bread, fruit, and cheese. You dug into all of it without a care as Lady Mina gleefully walked up to an assortment of dresses.

Oh, not again, you thought with an eye roll.

“And I was thinking for today,” she sang, eyeing through the garments, “You can wear… this! ”

She pulled out a lovely silk dress, dyed the color lavender and bare on one shoulder, the otherside held together with a golden dragon pin. You could pick out the outline of the scales and teeth all the way from your place on the bed. Its jaw was open mid-roar, its eyes studded with tiny rubies, its tail snaking down to wrap around the waist.

It was… a lot.

You gulped down the lump of food in your mouth, feeling it plump down into your stomach. “Don’t you think it's a bit too much for me, Mina?"

Mina pouted. “We can replace the broach with one of your own, if you like. But you can't deny it isn't pretty…”

She dangled the dress in front of you, as if the fabric could somehow hypnotize you into saying yes.

You gulped down your guilt, almost wishing you would've fallen for it. But the truth was, your father raised you to ride on horseback, to swing a sword, to hunt alongside your brothers. Usually, you couldn’t be bothered with dresses.

"The thought is appreciated, trully,” you said with a mouthful of bread. You swallowed it down before continuing. “But I have training this morning. I very well can’t fight in, well, that .”

You gestured to the dress as if it were a wild animal with rabies and foam spilling out from the mouth.

Lady Mina huffed, not forgiving you. “All you ever do is train...”

You gave her your best pleading face, trembling lip and the biggest eyes you could make. A trick you’ve pulled since you were a child.

"Ugh, fine ," Lady Mina relented, handing the dress back to a maid. "But the King is hosting a tourney later this week, and I insist on getting you ready for that!"

She wagged a finger at you. "All of the highborns of the South are going to be there. You need to look like a proper lady of your station. Got it?"

“Yes, Lady Mina,” you nodded in fake agreement.

It wouldn't be a lie if you were gone by the time of the tourney, which you hoped to be once this damned contract was signed…

You shoved a final fistful of food into your mouth before getting ready.

And it was true when you said you could get ready on your own. A simple cotton shirt, breeches, and your boots were all you needed. You’ve forgone most of your armor since the boat, finding it all to be utterly unbearable in the Southern heat. You now only bothered with your arm braces and your scabbard.

However, as your eyes traveled over your form in the mirror, they caught onto your chestplate, tucked away in an open chest. It’s cool steel peeked out, the curve of the white fox stealing your attention with a twinkle of light, a reflection of the sun living in the fox’s eye.

Can't breathe-

Air hitched in your throat, and it was then you felt something unpleasantly strange; a cold air that brushed against the back of your shoulders and shivered into your chest.

You pulled out the chestplate and strapped it on.

"Uh, are you sure you want to do that, my lady?" Mina asked you, cautiously. "It's a very hot day, today."

"I'll be fine," you insisted, finding a strong sense of pride in the fox that guarded your heart. With that one, and the necklace you wore underneath it, you felt like you knew who you were.

A northerner, through and through.

But as a show of respect, you did let Lady Mina do your hair. She brushed it back and weaved it into a braid as you worked on fastening your arm braces.

When Lady Mina stepped back, finished, you simply couldn't afford to linger anymore.

“Thanks,” you told her, not bothering to look before leaving, too busy fidgeting with the final clasp.

You heard her scoff all the way from the door, but hopefully, she knew you enough by now to realize you meant no offense. You simply had more important matters for the day.

You walked out, and as always, Ser Midoriya stood patiently by your door, waiting.

“Good morning, m’lady!” he greeted brightly.

“Good morning, ser.” You couldn’t help but feel warmth in your heart when you saw your friend. He reminded you of your littlest brother. Eager, innocent, hopeful.

“Any ravens from home?” you asked as the both of you headed towards the grounds.

“Yes, actually!” Ser Midoriya pulled out a scroll sealed with blood red wax, stamped with the outline of your familiar.

You eagerly ripped it open, eyes meeting your mother’s perfect handwriting.

Dearest Daughter,

I insist that you return home immediately.

Of course.

The savaged prince will cut off your head-

He’s a king.

You’ve surrounded yourself with beasts, sweetling. Can’t you see? It’s only a matter of time before they gobble you up.

You snorted.

Come home, before I lose a daughter as well as a husband.

You huffed. Using your father’s death against you was low, but unfortunately, unsurprising.

“Any news on the little lord?” Ser Midoriya asked.

You skimmed through the rest of the letter, worry pinching your face the farther you went down.

“No. Nothing.”

You crumpled the letter up into a ball and handed it back to Midoriya, who took it with no response, long-used to your mood when receiving a raven from mother.

A couple of courtiers passed by, their gazes straying down to the fox on your chest. You saw them lean into each other in a conniving manner, whispering.

“The Lady of the North...”

You expected the stares. You were probably the first northerner to walk through these halls in decades afterall, and nothing fueled the court more than whispers, rumors, and gossip.

You imagined that you were the main topic of all three today.

But what did surprise you were the glances cast at your knight.

“The green hair? He’s the one that jousted against the King...”

You showed no sign that you heard them, keeping your head forward. But once you passed them, you looked over to your knight. “It seems your reputation is quite bigger than I've been led to believe, ser.”

And as you predicted, Ser Midoriya flinched and stuttered to answer. “I-I told your lord father everything when I arrived at court, m’lady! I swear!”

“Maybe so, but now you must tell me,” you leaned in to talk quieter, in case there were any stray ears. “Without a written agreement, the Dragon King can have second thoughts on the trade. Perhaps he already is , and maybe that's why it's taking so long… You must tell me your tale, ser."

Ser Midoriya just looked at you, confused. "But, m'lady, Kacchan would never do that. He gave you his word."

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline, bewilderment making you louder, " Kacchan? You have a nickname for him?"

“W-Well, we grew up together,” Midoriya explained, face turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. His eyes roamed down, up, to the side, everywhere but at you.

You stopped, grabbing onto Ser Midoriya’s shoulder so he would do the same. When he still refused to look at you, you shook him gently, forcing him to do so.

“There’s no one I trust more than you, ser, can't you see? It’s your opinion that I value the most. Not the Dragon King’s.”

Ser Midoriya stood there, twiddling his thumbs. “It’s just that… it’s embarrassing m’lady. A-And" –he suddenly looked up at you, fists now clenched and eyes sparkling with determination– “I’m not that man anymore. I’m a knight now, and I’m going to be the best in all the lands!”

You gave a small smile at his declaration. Truthfully, it didn’t surprise you. You found that the ones most often looked down on were the ones with the biggest dreams, and Ser Midoriya was probably the most doubted knight in the entire realm. It was easy for the world to do so, with his naturally scrawny frame, panicked attitude, and lack of name.

But you've seen the knight grow. You've seen him be the very first one on the training grounds and the very last one to leave. You've seen how seriously he takes his duty in protecting you, how he treats your family with the utmost respect.

You've seen the boy become the man.

“You forget, ser. I train with you," you reminded him. “If I thought you were an embarrassment, I would have said so.”

You held onto both of his shoulders now, hoping your persistence would be proof of your honesty. "I already believe you capable of anything. There is nothing you need to prove to me, ser."

You released your hold on him, crossing your arms stubbornly.

“Now, tell me.”

Midoriya released a shaky breath, tears brimming in his forest-green eyes, and for a fearful moment you thought the knight would outright weep, but then he shook his head, wiping them away.

“Okay.”

He pulled you away into a corner, where his story could be hidden by stone and shadow.

“As you know, I was working as a stable boy here, in the Southlands. But, I’ve always dreamt of becoming a knight. My favorite story as a boy was always-”

“-Ser Toshinori Yagi, the All Mighty Knight of the Goldlands,” you finished for him.

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, well. I would run into Kacchan a lot back then but… but often times Kacchan didn’t want me around."

You narrowed your eyes at his hesitancy. You could read inbetween the lines. You knew how cruel men like the Bakugou Katsuki could be.

Midoriya went on. "He was training to be a knight too, you see. He kept talking about us going to war soon-”

“And how would he know that?” you interrupted snootily. “The Old Lord of the South didn’t even suspect war, so how did he ?”

“Kacchan has the blood of the dragon, m’lady,” your knight explained. “He has dragon dreams.”

“Dragon dreams?”

Ser Midoriya nodded.

Your oncoming dislike of the King hindered for a moment as you absorbed the information.

You’ve read about the blood of the dragon. The last known carrier was the Dragon Queen. It was written that she never burned, that her dreams were premonitions, that her shouts could make dragons heel, while her whispers could make them roar.

And, it was written that she was the last who could do so.

"Is this true?" you asked carefully.

Midoriya nodded. “He claimed a dragon when he was five, m'lady.”

Shock flowed through you at the idea.

Five years old…

“Well." With a heavy sigh, you slumped against the wall. "I guess that would prove it.”

You looked up, eyes roaming over the stone of the ceiling as you mused. “I never expected the Dragon King to be a dreamer.”

Midoriya looked down sheepishly, almost as if he were guilty of something. “If you ask about it, he'll deny it, m'lady. Kachaan thinks it makes him look superstitious…"

Is that what happened to you, ser? You made a mention of his dreams, and he beat you for it?

"B-But anyways," –Midoriya shook his head, clearing whatever thought that clouded it– "when the tourney was announced, we all thought that this was it; this was how we can prove ourselves and become knights. Kacchan kept talking about how he would win and be named Commander-”

You snorted. “From one tourney win? Doubtful.”

Midoriya shook his head, correcting you. “By then, Kacchan had a lot of influence, m’lady. He was able to command a dragon, and he was in the Old Lord's favor."

“Really?” you asked, astonished. “So just like that? He won and was named Commander?”

Midoriya nodded, tears brimming once again as he recounted shamefully, “The very first round, Kacchan was put up against me and…” –tears started to fill more as Midoriya choked– “And as soon as I charged, somehow the girth came undone…”

“And you fell off.”

“And I fell off!” Midoriya cried.

His sobs bounced off of the walls as Ser Midoriya could no longer hold it in. He doubled over, completely consumed by his emotions, and you saw curious courtiers start to peek their heads your way.

“There, there, ser.” You patted his back reassuringly. “Your riding skills have improved tremendously since you’ve been with me. Your fighting skills, too.”

“I know that.” Ser Midoriya wiped his tears away. “And even then, I knew I could do better. I stood up and went to mount my horse again.”

“As you should,” you nodded.

“But…” Midoriya hesitated. He looked up at you, and you knew then that you wouldn’t like what he had to say. “But Kacchan wouldn’t allow it, m’lady.”

“What?!” you exclaimed. “ Why? You did nothing wrong.”

"He said I was hopeless, that there was no way I could fight, and if I wasn't fit to represent the Southlands on the battlefield, then I wasn't fit to represent them at all," Midoriya recounted in sorrow. "And the Old Lord listened, m’lady, so I was banished."

“That is-” you choked on your anger, too steamed to finish.

Unfair . Dishonorable . Cowardly. Those were the words that came to mind.

“I don’t like this King,” you decided, making your way back towards the light of the hallway.

Anger and guilt twisted your stomach as you realized, that’s why Ser Midoriya begged you to let him fight the other day. He saw it as his chance to regain his honor, and you didn’t let him. You thought it was your duty to challenge the King yourself, in the name of your House.

You peeked over your shoulder, at Ser Midoriya, who was now dejectedly following behind you.

“There’s a tourney coming up later this week. You can fight then,” you decided.

Ser Midoriya’s face brightened immediately. He reminded you of a child seeing his first fall of snow. “Really, m'lady?! You'll let me?”

Your anger melted at the sight of his excitement. “Why, of course, ser. You will be the sole representative of the North. I swear.”

Midoriya’s face turned serious, his determined nature taking root once more. “Yes, m’lady! I will make you proud.”

You didn’t doubt it, but now you'll have to deal with Mina…

Fresh sun hit your face as you reached the grounds. Along with it, the air, tainted with the smell of sweat, blood, and the putrid stench of dragon caves, their presence out of sight yet far from forgotten. Your gaze traveled from the men moving about- from the knights, squires, and stableboys maneuvering through the chaos of work- to the main sparing area, which sat directly in the sun.

Can't hide your weaknesses when you're basked in light, you thoughtfully observed.

“Are you sure you wish to train today, m’lady?” you heard Midoriya ask. “You’re wrist-”

“It’s fine ,” you assured him, flapping your wrist around to prove it. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Besides, we need to practice.” You walked into the sun and pulled out your sword, it’s thin blade pointing at Ser Midoriya’s chin. “Let’s go .”

Your knight stared in surprise at your showmanship before promptly furrowing his brows, looking back with fiery confidence. “Right!”

He pulled out his own sword, and as sudden as lightning, you two began, your motions turning into a dance you knew very well.

“Keep your guard up!” you told him.

Midoriya listened and moved to correct his stance, but that was when you had him. You knocked his sword away.

“Keep your head as well,” you joked.

Midoriya huffed in amusement, resetting himself for the next round. You followed.

The both of you simultaneously began once more. You danced around your knight mercilessly, fighting him with the same sly brutality you showed the King.

Ser Midoriya was your knight, afterall. If he couldn’t hold a fight against you , then there really was no point to him, was there?

But just like you knew he would, Midoriya kept up, though be it, with a very strained look on his face. You weren't sure if he was afraid of you hitting him or he hitting you . You knew if he actually gave you an injury, Ser Midoriya would never forgive himself-

You felt a solid tap on the chest, sword hitting your armor with a solid tink.

“Yes!” Midoriya cheered.

“Nicely done,” you complimented.

It was what you deserved, with your mind wandering about.

Head in the clouds, ears in the trees, your father used to say.

You both repositioned, swords high and eyes pierced into one another, waiting to see what the next move might be.

Ser Midoriya was smart enough to keep his eye on your hip, where your dagger was hidden. You've been known to pull it out when least expected, surprising your opponent when their attention was focused on your sword. A trick that helped you with Bakugou, but unlike him, Midoriya has sparred with you many times now. He knew your tricks.

You both circled around each other, waiting.

"JUST GO ALREADY!" Somebody screamed, and immediately, everyone in your peripherals stood at attention.

Perhaps out of spite, you broke your stance, refusing to do so.

You could feel the glare of the Dragon King once more, this time from the shadow of the balcony.

You remained tall and glared back.

Just because you were making a trade with the Dragon King didn't mean you had to bow to his every whim. He was the King of the South , and your loyalty was to home. To your people.

To your knight, you thought furiously, Ser Midoriya’s tale taking center place once more.

"Good morning, Your Grace," you greeted curtly.

Bakugou continued to glare, eyes searching for a sign that you'll buckle. However, he seemed to find none, for he turned his head away with a huff.

"Mornin'," he grunted before making his way down the steps. Obnoxiously slow, obnoxiously loud.

He wore a fresh cape today, still sporting the blood red color of his House. His chest was still bare, still proudly exposing the tattoos he earned in battle (and yet shamefully, your cheeks flared as if it were all new).

However, what was new was the chain he wore around his neck, made out of tiny sharp teeth.

The baby teeth of his dragon, perhaps?

When he reached the ground, the King's eyes immediately latched onto your knight, burning with an unmatched fury.

"Deku," he growled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

You noticed your knight's hands shaking by his sides, and so you interjected.

"He's my knight, and I asked him to help me train," you answered coolly. "What's it to you?"

The King barked out a laugh. " Right . I've seen the worm fight before." He inched closer intimidatingly. "More like you were training him ."

And then a sword appeared between you two.

"I'm a knight of the North now, Kacchan." Ser Midoriya's voice was tight but steady, and you saw Bakugou's eyes flare even more. "I must ask that you keep your distance from m'lady. She's already close enough to hear whatever you have to say."

The King's face twisted into a deadly scowl. "Stop calling me that! I'm a king-"

"But not his," you cut in, your own eyes piercing coldly into the dragon's. Ice to the fire. "Ser Midoriya belongs to the North now. Remember?"

You saw the King's scowl pinch in, just slightly before it turned into a cruel, arrogant smirk.

"Must be where the cowards go."

Anger flared within you, contained only by the hard steel of the fox that protected your chest. In fear that you would snap and ruin the agreement before it was even written, you said nothing.

"You northerners won't last five seconds in the dragon caves," the King went on.

You felt a brow perch up, asking, "Oh? Is that what we're doing today?"

The King's scowl returned. "I told ya' I was gonna show you how we get blackstone, didn't I?"

"We’re going to mine blackstone?" you asked with genuine curiosity, anger gone for now.

But, how ?

"Just come along, will ya'?" The King growled darkly before walking away.

The way he said it cowed you into obedience. You were both curious to see how the southerners attempted to mine, as well as the sudden seriousness that seemed to possess the King.

And in following him, you got to see the true power he welded.

Everywhere the Dragon King went, the people would stop. Women dropped to the floor in curtsies. Men would bend the knee. Knights and guards would stand at attention and salute, any hint of life gone in the presence of their liege.

You expected he liked it that way.

And how the King wouldn’t stop or even nod at his courtiers. Instead, he chose to act as if they didn't exist at all, keeping his head forward as he marched towards the gateway. It wasn’t until you were halfway there when you noticed…

“You don’t have a guard?” you asked curiously.

The King snorted. "Like to see someone try . In my own castle…”

Good point. Only a fool would dare to slay a dragon when they're in the belly of its lair.

The three of you reached the gateway, reintroduced to the sky once more, and the sight in front of you brought a smile to your face.

“Oh good! We’re riding there!”

The first horse you saw was the one in front, a bay gelding with a tail that wouldn't stop flicking. The sootiness of his coat shined against the sunlight, bringing attention towards his strong legs and dark snout, his eyes dark as night. He wore a gold trimmed saddle with blood red padding, all bearing the sigil of a golden dragon breathing flame.

The Dragon King's.

But then you spotted the light-gray mare behind him, her coat reminding you of snow. Not the pure white snow that blessed the North deep within the winter season, but the real snow you used to see every day; the slush that squished under your feet when you walked to the stables. The half-melted snow that cornered the gateway, forming into small mountains you and your brothers used to climb, and then later fall in. The dirty snow your older brother dared you to eat once (and you almost did, until mother saw you and screamed bloody murder).

It was the type of snow hardly anyone ever thought about.

And how the mare's eyes bled into yours, her stature unmoving and calm, her long tail occasionally flicking with the unearthed energy that she was, no doubt, reserving for the ride.

You walked past the King to greet her, making sure to keep to her side, so that her eyes could be on you as you approached carefully.

"Hello, there," you spoke to her in a gentle tone, holding a cautious hand to her nose so she could catch your scent.

She took some sniffs and sighed into your touch, her own sign of welcome. She then nudged her nose into your palm, urging you to pet her.

You let out a giggle at her persistence, finding a light-hearted joy you haven't felt in a very long time.

“I take it you like to ride, my lady?” a voice startled you, bringing you back to your surroundings.

You didn't even notice the man next to you, which was saying something given his solid build and eccentric red hair. Everything about him read strong and warrior , yet he wore a gentle smile with kind eyes to match.

You bashfully answered. “As soon as I learned how to walk, I learned how to ride. The North is full of open land, you see. It’s far more practical to be on horseback than inside a carriage.”

The large man smiled, showing off his sparkling sharp teeth.

“You’ll like Yuki, then. She’s nice, but she sure likes to run.” The man patted the horse's neck affectionately.

Your chest panged with heartbreak once more, as you remembered how you had to give up your own stead for the northern cause.

Another sacrifice for the war.

The man turned towards you, and nodded his head in the form of a bow. “Kirishima Eijirou, if it pleases my lady.”

It was then that you spotted the gold broach holding the man’s cape together. It was a hand, palm open in a show of promise.

“You're the Hand?” you asked, surprised. But then again, perhaps it was unsurprising that someone like Bakugou Katsuki would want someone equally built along his side.

“Indeed, I am!" Kirishima cheerfully replied. "Sorry for not greeting you at the gate. We had a-”

“Oi, Ei!” The King barked. “Quit yapping and get on a damn horse!”

The Dragon King was already on his stead, ready to go.

“Best not to keep His Grace waiting,” you grumbled sarcastically.

Kirishima leaned towards you, whispering as if in conspiracy. “You’ll find that he’s more roar than bite, my lady. I promise.” He tossed you another smile before leaving to head to his own horse.

You felt your brows furrow in confusion.

Somehow, you doubted that.

You mounted Yuki with ease, her steady nature being a welcomed gift after dealing with the fiery tempers of this morning.

And, you were sure, the fiery tempers you still had to deal with.

“M’lady is one of the best riders in the North!” Midoriya excitedly proclaimed, mounting his own horse clumsily. “She raced against all of the lords and knights of the land and beat them all! Even her lord brother.”

The King snarled. “As long as she’s better than you.”

Anger flared inside you, and quite suddenly, you felt the need for a challenge. “Have you ever raced against a northerner before, Your Grace?”

The King scoffed, jutting a thumb towards his chest as he bragged, “I’ve ridden dragons, Lady! I doubt you can beat me.”

You smirked.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” you said smoothly. Then without any warning, you hit your reins, urging your horse to run with a loud “Ya!”

And you left everyone in the dust.

You could hear the shouts of the King behind you. “Oi! This is cheating! Get your ass back here!”

You also heard the cries of your knight. “M’lady, please! You can’t just leave like that!”

You looked back, catching the sorry sight of them struggling to catch up, and your laugh carried you over to the other side of the Bridge. Out of mercy (and also because you genuinely did not know the way), you slowed Yuki down to stop.

The King caught up to you within a second, halting right next to you.

“That doesn’t count!” he scolded, eyes burning angrily into yours.

You rolled eyes and shrugged. “It was a joke, Your Grace. Nothing more…”

He scoffed, melted gaze fading into curiosity. You felt his eyes stray to your posture, how posed you looked on a horse, but then they stopped at your chestplate.

"You wearing that for the whole day?" he asked you calmly.

For some unknown reason, you felt a prickle of nervousness creep up to the back of your neck. "Yes, Your Grace. I was planning on it."

You watched as Bakugou's brow arched up, his face contorting into a look of confusion and disgust.

He thought you were stupid.

But just as quickly as the expression appeared, it fell as you heard him grumble quietly, "Fine. It's your funeral."

Then he rode his horse ahead of you, leading the way, and as you watched his retreating form, you couldn't help but ponder over his sudden cut off from you.

It was almost as if he were disappointed in you.

And then you found yourself questioning your choice, wondering if perhaps it was a stupid idea, wearing a chestplate on a day like this.

You were starting to feel it- the strong band of heat trapped inside the plate. The weight of it was starting to drag you down, and when you looked, you saw that no one else was wearing anything to a similar degree. Even your knight, who wore his whole uniform on the very first day, was now only wearing his pauldrons over a light shirt.

Doubt started to sink in, and your fingers started to play at the clasps holding the plate together.

Can't breathe-

All of the air suddenly escaped from your lungs, like you were punched in the gut, forcing you to take a greedy breath in. The chill that tickled your skin returned, making the sweat that coated your skin turn ice cold. It was like a ghost was passing through you, inflicting you with the feeling of his bloodless fate.

So you decided to keep the chestplate on as you rode alongside your party, more of the King's soldiers following close behind.

Silence filled the time of the journey, as dirt and land started to give away to sand, beach rocks, and tall grass peeking through it. Even though this was in the Southlands, you felt as if Tochiryuu was an island, a place of its own with nothing but the things inside it; the beat of the sun, the white of the sand, and the roar of the ocean that was slowly growing bigger and bigger, its water twinkling like it was made out of stars.

Maybe the sea wasn’t such a sorry sight after all.

And as you turned your head around, marveling at the beauty of the beach. You couldn’t help but think there was a battle here, not that long ago.

“So, tell me about Sunset Beach.”

A wave of tension seemed to pass through the King and his Hand, and for a moment, you thought perhaps you got it wrong.

“This is where you had your big victory, yes?” you asked the King directly.

His crimson eyes seemed to darken into the color of blood as they peeked back at you.

“Aye,” was all he said.

You huffed. "Well, King of Victory. Wouldn't you like to tell me how you earned the name?”

Surely he expected you to ask about it?

But oddly enough, the Dragon King didn’t reply. He just turned away and completely ignored you.

You didn’t understand. You'd imagined an arrogant man like Bakugou Katsuki wouldn't dare miss the opportunity to brag. Was his success exaggerated? Or was the battle more gruesome than how the songs described it to be?

Either way, you got it wrong, and you found yourself looking back at Ser Midoriya for guidance. But, he looked just as puzzled as you, his face scrunched up in deep concern as he met your gaze.

The heat within your chestplate started to curl up and tighten your throat. You suddenly felt panicked at the idea that the King didn’t like you. Personally, you wouldn’t have cared. You didn’t necessarily like him either, but your country was on the line. The King could decide not to follow through on the agreement. You needed to stay in good graces, at least until the bloody contract was signed and you could get the hell out of here.

You decided the best route was to just keep your mouth shut for the rest of the journey, and try to impress later.

“Have you been to the caves yet, my lady?” Kirishima suddenly asked you. He sounded kindly, and he even slowed his horse down so he could be by your side, better to hear you.

So much for keeping your mouth shut.

You swallowed down your reluctance to speak. “Not yet, but I’ve read about them, my lord.”

You eyed the King warily before going on. “The caves live just south of the Arashi Mountains. Not only are they the only known caves that hold blackstone, but they are home to many other gems as well- blood rubies, yellow diamonds. But…” You looked back at Kirishima. “But because of all of that, they're a natural attraction for dragons.”

Kirishima nodded. “That’s right. Dragons love treasure. Many of them end up making their nests in the caves. They're crawling with them.” And then, perhaps fearing that the comment would scare you, the lord backtracked. “B-But not to worry! The King and I have been in the caves many times. Right, Your Grace?!”

The King grumbled under his breath before begrudgingly replying, “Know ‘em like the back of my hand.”

“I trust you,” you told Kirishima, but your eyes did briefly wander over to the Dragon King.

The Arashi Mountains grew bigger. You could now pick out the lines of smoke that punctured various corners, curling up into the sky and beyond it, making the peaks disappear. The stormy-black of the rock seemed to swallow the sun that touched it, painting its entire aura gray. You caught the smaller pieces of rock circling around the base, how jagged and sharp they appeared to be as they covered the pitch-back that was the entrance to the caves.

You then spotted the white tents lined up around it, the small ants of men moving about to the faint sound of metalwork, as more lines of smoke traveled up from the ground, signaling the presence of bonfire.

But then a mighty roar vibrated through the sky. You looked up behind you and saw a tiny black speck flying, growing bigger and bigger until you struggled to see under the brightness of the sun. You felt a rush of wind fan your cheeks and whip through your hair, and the darkness the dragon brought shielded you from the torture as it flew over you. As it passed, you saw the familiar colors; red shimmering into black and green as it headed towards the mountains before you, letting out another roar as the dragon reached its home.

You saw the King smirk with pride.

"Katsuko" he greeted.

"Yours?" you asked.

The King whipped his head towards you, and for a moment you thought he would ignore you again or at least give you another half-ass answer, but pride seemed to take over. He boasted,"Of course. It's only right that the King has the best dragon."

"Is he the biggest?"

Bakugou snorted, hopping off the horse to walk the rest of the way towards the caves. "For his age. He’ll only grow bigger as he gets older, don’t worry."

You weren’t.

Truthfully, you weren’t too keen on the dragons yet. You admitted they were beautiful creatures and that they held a charming sense of power and grace when they flew in the air, beyond any danger or limitation. But you faintly wondered about the consequences of taming such a beast…

You went to unmount as well when a dizzy spell hit you, knees buckling as your feet touched ground. You held onto the saddle to keep yourself steady.

Ser Midoriya raced to your side when he noticed. “M’lady! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, ser,” you gritted determinedly, still feeling light-headed.

“Are… are you sure you need the chestplate, m’lady?” Midoriya asked quietly. “If it’s your safety you're worried about, don’t worry! I’m sure Kacchan knows what he’s doing, and I’m here-”

“I said I’m fine, ser,” you seethed, hating to snap at him, but now the ghostly feeling has increased tenfold, from brushing against your shoulders to now trapping you in a bear hug, whispering in your ear…

Can't breathe…

You squirmed under its warning.

Your eyes peeked open to find Ser Midoriya staring at you in worry.

You gave a short, exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry, but my gut is telling me to keep the plate on and so it stays on. And that’s that.”

Ser Midoria nodded silently in agreement, although the worry was still plain on his face.

You both followed behind the King and His Hand, who were currently being greeted by a familiar face.

“Ah, great! The Dragon Whisperer has arrived.” Kaminari approached, a wide grin on his face as he bowed to the King.

Bakugou grunted in response and simply moved past him, heading towards a large slab of stone set in the middle of the base, sanded down so that it resembled a table. Some men were huddled around it, but quickly stepped aside for him. You had a feeling if they didn’t, the King would’ve just plowed through them anyway.

Lord Kaminari didn’t seem phased however, and instead his gaze landed on you.

“My lady,” he said with another bow. “I hope your ride was pleasant.”

“Better than the carriage,” you muttered grumpily.

It was true. Although the heat was gruesome and it was currently racing through your veins like snake venom, it was still a better journey. Afterall, you had yet to throw up.

A canteen floated right in front of your face. You grabbed at it- delighted to find it was real - and saw that it was your knight that gave it to you, worry still etched onto his face.

You ignored it, and drank out of the canteen heavily, fresh water flowing down your throat and branching through the rest of your body in heavenly relief.

You wanted to pass it back to Ser Midoriya, but he beated you to it by insisting you needed to catch up to the King, who was studying the slab. As you went to do so, you eagerly eyed the men working on the tools- pickaxes, hammers, and spears you quickly noted. You squinted in on them, and was shocked to find they were working with steel. Not blackstone.

Then, how?

You reached the King, approaching on his left. You looked down, curious of the source of his attention, and saw that the slab was carved with many lines, some short and some stretching to the opposite side, all of them connecting like the roots of a tree. At certain points, there were names, some of them faded so that you had to squint to read- Kinba, Shiroi Tsubasa, Kanibaru -and some of them were new, freshly carved- Musouka, Katsuko …

It was a map… and the names must be where the dragons live.

"So, which path are we taking?” you asked.

Bakugou huffed, dragging a finger from the older end, passing through Kanibaru and following the main line all the way down until reaching Katsuko , and then Musouka .

Your heart dropped to the bottom of your stomach.

“We’re going through their nests?” you asked in quiet horror.

“That’s how we find blackstone,” the King shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “The dragons are attracted to it, so they nest where it’s at.”

“And luckily for us, Musouka’s expanding her home!” Kirishima joyfully informed you. “She must be laying eggs soon.”

“‘Means she’ll be even more territorial,” the King grumbled. “We have to be careful bringing Katsuko in there.”

“We’re bringing Katsuko?” you asked.

“‘Need him to melt down the rock,” the King answered before turning towards Kaminari. “Oi! Where’s Musouka now?!”

“On flight, Your Grace. The watchtower last reported her heading east.”

“Then we need to move now,” the King stated, and in the wink of an eye, everyone did, and with such urgency that you found yourself looking in every direction, utterly lost.

“W-Wait! What if she comes back?!” Ser Midoriya cried, looking just as confused as you.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you know,” Kaminari winked, handing each of you a torch, top end wrapped in cloth and reeking of alcohol. A heavy pack was suddenly tossed your way, and you peered inside it to find a pickaxe, rope, gloves, and a fresh canteen.

“You’ll also need this. The smell is quite strong down there.” Kaminari then handed each of you a large white cloth.

You gave a good whiff and found that the putrid scent of the mountains, which was once tolerable in the city, was now churning deeply in your stomach.

Oh, you can not throw up again.

You secured the cloth over your nose and mouth, as tightly as you could. Then, you faced the pitch black of the cave’s entrance. No torches lined up against the wall, nor any wagon tracks. The only physical sign that man has been in that cave before was the slab of rock right next you.

Steeling yourself, as much as you could with the heat and the smell, you marched towards the black, but as soon as you met Kirishima at the entrance, you heard something big walking up behind you.

You turned to find none other than Katsuko the Dragon, being way too close to your comfort with the King riding on top of him, looking as smug as ever, even with the cloth over his mouth.

It made you feel more sick than the stench ever could.

You all scrambled to get out of the way as Katsuko continued to march past you.

“Just follow me, northerners, and you’ll be fine,” the Dragon King bragged.

Torches lit, you, Midoriya, and Kirishima silently walked behind Katsuko, who led the way. Wings tucked and body flat, the dragon scurried through the tunnels almost like a lizard, his tail slithering after him.

As rock and dirt crunched under your feet, you observed the walls around you, your torch light capturing the indented black that swallowed you whole, its tiny glimmers shining from your fire. It looked solid. Strong. And yet you knew you could easily take your pickaxe and pick a piece off.

It wasn’t blackstone. Blackstone only shined in sunlight.

Your eyes strayed down to find a white line of rope tied to the sides, a bell attached every few inches. You followed the line all the way until darkness stopped you.

Kaminari.

That’s what he meant. If Musouka comes back, he’ll pull the rope and ring the bells.

You all continue your path silently, letting the distant echoes of the cave consume you. It was somehow calming, the sound of the caves; the small drip of water from somewhere in the dark, the small roar of fire that came from your torches, the small shuffles of your footsteps, even the small sounds of Katsuko as he sniffed and scampered his way ahead.

All of these small sounds being casted out into the vibrant air of the cave, traveling through and meeting into one singular song. It gave you this strange, lulling sense of tranquility, one you were only familiar with through the whispering woods of home.

You hated to interrupt it, but you had questions.

“Why aren’t we using the blackstone tools?”

Everyone stopped to look at you. Even Katsuko.

“What blackstone tools?!” The King barked, the echoes of the cave capturing his voice and making it louder.

And it was such an offensive response that you couldn’t help but stare at him, speaking full of snark. “You know, the ones my family made…"

The Blacksmith's Hammer. The Anvil. The Five Pickaxes. Tools that have been passed down to your family for generations, that is, until the truce was broken.

“Eh?” the King asked. “Why the hell would we have those?!”

All you could do was look blankly ahead, the flare of your annoyance washed away into stupor.

“You… you don’t have them?” you asked quietly, fear and heartbreak creeping in with the thought that your ancestor’s creations may be gone for good.

“No, my lady.” Lord Kirishima shook his head . “At least, not us nor the Old Lord.”

“Do…" Your throat clogged with emotion, forcing you to clear it out and adjust your mask. "Do you think the Dragon Queen did something to them?”

“I wouldn’t know, my lady.” Kirishima shook his head again, sadly .

You let the sharp pain of grief curl up around your throat before stubbornly swallowing it down, ceasing the sting in your eyes along with it.

“That’s why our pickaxes are plain,” you roughed out, continuing your walk. "And why we need Katsuko to melt down the stone."

Dragon fire.

Except for blackstone itself, it's the only thing that can affect it. Without the Blacksmith’s tools, it would be the only option.

"And what do we do if we run into a stray?" you asked nervously.

No one answered.

Swallowing down the lump in your throat, you took the silence for what it was and moved along.

You let your hand brush along the cave wall, feeling the coarseness scratch along your palm, and you wondered distractedly, how far down were you? Then, how far down did the tunnels go? You haven’t even passed through the first dragon’s nest yet…

The sound of your footsteps began to grow louder, crunchier , and then,

Snap.

Startled, you looked down, absent mindedly thinking you somehow stepped on a twig.

But that couldn’t be right.

And when you brought your torch down to the ground, you saw it- the stick of bone white, coated with ash.

You swallowed down your fear over the sickening realization that, you were getting close.

“Kanibaru. That’s the first nest, yes?”" you asked nervously.

The King rumbled, “Aye.”

“And, do we need to worry about him?”

He let out a snort. “Kanibaru’s been dead for years, lady. We’ll be fine.”

"Not too far now, m’lady," Kirishima assured you.

You looked over towards your knight, who's been oddly silent since entering the caves, his eyes downcasted in deep thought.

“Are you alright, ser?”

Midoriya blinked, startled back to reality by your voice. “Oh! Y-Yes, m’lady. I was just pondering over the name.”

“Kanibaru?”

Ser Midoriya nodded solemnly. “Cannibal.”

Ice cold dread ran through your veins, making you feel cold once again despite the warmth of your armor.

The temperature of the air was fine, but the strong stench of dragon was fully watering your eyes now. You found yourself furiously wiping away your tears with your arm.

“Watch your feet!” the King called behind him.

You immediately looked down, seeing the bones in Kirishima’s torchlight. No longer were they fragments, hidden in the earth, but fully exposed and bigger.

And bigger…

Bones grew and multiplied. While once you were watching your step, now you were actively maneuvering around them- stepping over a ribcage only to narrowly avoid what appeared to be a broken sheep skull.

But then the bones went on, until they formed tiny mountains of their own and it was impossible to ignore the sickening crunches and snaps that formed under your feet, as you had no choice but to fully step on them now.

And then you reached the nest.

Large white pillars sat on both ends, forcing Katsuko to tighten himself so he could crawl under it while Bakugou ducked, the rest of you huddling closer into the center. As you carefully stepped through, you looked up, seeing the roof that was the spine. And once you passed the pillars and the broken off roof, there were a few steps of nothing, and then…

The skull.

It was facing away from you, so you couldn’t quite see it in all its glory yet, but Katsuko could, and he didn't like it. The dragon growled softly at the bone, sniffing at it and nudging it with his nose before his jaw opened slightly, growl growing louder and more rattled.

“Oi, Katsuko,” The Dragon King warned, “Rybas.”

The dragon let out another growl before turning his head and continuing walking.

And when you circled around the great white marble, you caught the side of the jaw, and then, the heavy spears of the teeth. The ones toward the front of the mouth were chipped off and broken, but the ones towards the back were completely intact, and so large- you imagined all it took was one strong bite for any prey to be turned into a slush of meat.

Your eyes traveled up the eye sockets, the one on the right torn and shattered all the way down the cheek.

The final bite that killed it.

When your fascination began to drag you behind, Ser Midoriya grabbed your elbow, nervously urging, “C’mon, m’lady! Best to keep moving.”

Sweat coated the palm holding your torch. You grasped it tighter, suddenly fearful of any small sound that passed through, your peace dampened with the idea that a dragon had no qualms killing one of its own.

But the bones soon disappeared, and the regular pathway of the tunnels returned, turning your thought into nothing but a shadow in your own mind.

Your chestplate grew heavier and heavier the farther you went down, and soon you found yourself being the last one in the group. At least, you would’ve been, if Ser Midoriya didn’t insist on staying by your side, making sure you were keeping up.

And you tried to, you really did, but the weight of the chestplate felt heavier than stone, and every slight breeze that passed through seemed to tickle the back of your neck and crawl down to the bottom of your spine, making you shiver as the haunting came back again and again.

You kept waiting for the bells to ring, or worse, the small rumblings of a beast to poke through.

But besides the sounds of your party passing through, there was nothing, and Katsuko seemed to not be worried at all. In fact, he seemed to be going faster now, eager to reach his own domain.

The pathway began to grow wider. You, Midoriya, and Kirishima now free to walk with a bit of space, nothing but the darkness of the void and the small specks of torchlight warding it off, until Katsuko suddenly took a left turn, leaving you all chasing to follow.

The dragon took a few more steps then abruptly stopped, causing a domino effect for Kirishima, Midoriya, and you.

Katsuko grumbled softly again, flapping his wings slightly as he entered his own home. The white pieces of bone once again resurfaced from the ground, this time, only the remains of sheep scattered along with it.

But glittering light soon caught your eye, and you squinted closely to see the shadows of gold. You brought your torch in front of you, illuminating the hoard of treasure in all of its sparkling glory; not only gold, but diamonds and rubies as well, all hidden safely within the darkness of the caves and further protected by its owner, Katsuko The Dragon himself.

“Don’t you dare touch any of it,” The King commanded, yelling over his shoulder. “This is his , got it?!”

You nodded silently in agreement.

You lingered on the treasure until your eyes traveled up, meeting the giant hole in the wall.

“Is this where you got the blackstone for your throne?” you asked innocently.

“Aye,” the King grumbled.

If they had the Anvil, they would’ve been able to make more tools…

Katsuko suddenly decided that he had enough walking for the day. He marched up to his hoard and started digging into it.

“Katsuko,” the King scolded. “Naejot!”

Katsuko ignored him and continued to dig.

Bakugou huffed, annoyed. “Katsuko, dohaeras. Naejot!”

Katsuko grumbled, before turning it into a growl, and then, a sharp whine. His tail swung out dangerously, whipping left and right, hitting the cave walls.

You backed away nervously, as Ser Midoriya pulled you back even more, behind him.

“Oi,” the Dragon King warned. He started speaking in full sentences, in the language you didn’t understand.

But Katusko cocked his head, listening. Then, with a great huff, he turned around and continued down the path towards Musouka’s domain.

By now, the smell was so strong, your nostrils burned. You tightened the tie on your cloth to no avail, stuck with the stench attacking your nose hairs, and the long journey wasn't just weighing on Katsuko. Everyone was starting to feel fatigued, tension and impatience was starting to build in the air, and you feared that a single sneeze would cause the King to snap at you.

"Getting close…" he grumbled, stretching out his back while Katsuko carried him.

Easy for him to say. He didn't have to walk…

But then, shortly afterward, the King was proven right. You arrived.

Musouka’s home was definitely the biggest you’ve seen so far, with gold and jewels completely blocking the walls with its tall peaks, while bones and carcasses painted the floor, all of it forming into one very large nest of treasure and death.

Katsuko rumbled greedily as heavy steam began to leak out of his nostrils, with his tail slithering sinfully to and fro.

"Katsuko, umbas."

The dragon grumbled, shaking his head at the command, before begrudgingly, sitting himself down, staying.

The Dragon King hopped off his back, heading towards the back wall to move all the gold. Kirishima moved to help him, while you and Ser Midoriya held your torches high so they could see.

They exposed the smooth, black surface of the wall, not a single hint of shimmer reflected anywhere.

You walked up to touch it, feeling the familiar smoot-yet-rough scratch as it grazed your palm.

Blackstone.

“Get your asses back,” the King told everyone, and once again, you felt Ser Midoriya gently guide you back, making you to be the farthest away from the wall.

You peeked over Midoriya’s shoulder, watching Bakugou walk up to Katsuko, standing by his side.

“Katsuko.” The King nodded towards the wall. “Dracarys.”

Katsuko scrunched his neck, growling deeply as a burning ball of flame formed deep in his throat.

Then, the dragon roared with all his might, a great wave of fire shooting out of his mouth and hitting the wall in all its fury.

The whole cave seemed to come to life, suddenly illuminated by the dragon fire as every shadow disappeared, and all the smell of dragon was burned to a crisp, replaced entirely by the smell of fire. The dry heat was hitting your face, burning your cheeks and making your heart pound furiously in your chest, its thump bumping the steel fox in front of it.

Then the roar died, the cave returned to darkness once more, and the wall of blackstone now glowed a fiery red.

“Quick! Put your gloves on and start picking at it!” Kirishima shouted, hurrying to do the very thing himself.

You threw down your bag, and dug in for the gloves, made from a very thick leather and a bit too big for your hands, but you put them on, grabbed your pickaxe, and ran to the wall.

“Careful. Don’t let the stone touch you,” the King warned. “Only grab it by the glove, got it?”

“Aye,” you answered him, moving to take a swing.

You managed to pick a chunk off, much to your delight. You grabbed it carefully with your gloved hand, and ran back to grab your bag- deciding to put the rock in there once it cooled.

You all kept picking at the blackstone, slowly gathering as much as you could in silence. The wall was now chunked to pieces, while the rest of it began to cool, the glow of dragon fire beginning to fade away.

You went to take what was maybe your last swing, and then…

A low, soft rumble echoed quietly down the tunnel.

You froze.

"Stop!" you whisper-cried, panicked.

Everyone halted, and listened.

But there was nothing.

“Calm your nervous ass!” The King yelled at you.

“I heard something,” you insisted.

The King rolled his shoulders back, eyeing the progress on the wall. “Probably a rat. If it’s anything else, Katsuko will let us know.”

Your ax felt numb in your hands. You stood there, petrified. You knew you heard something, but everyone else went back to work, swinging at the stone. Prickled flesh ran up your arms, your shoulders, your neck.

Nothing but silence.

Then a deaf defying screech pierced through the air as a large blue dragon jumped out from a deep crack from within the wall. It launched itself onto Katsuko, and everything went to chaos. The torches went out. The roars and screams of the dragons bombarded the tunnel as they tumbled and rolled over one another, their fight illuminated only by the breaths of fire they were spitting at one another.

You heard Midoriya from afar, but you couldn’t find him.

“My lady! My lady!”

“Midoriya!” you called back, trying to run towards the voice, but then the large thwack of a tail came from somewhere above, forcing you to duck and cover our head as rock rained down. When you felt it stop, you got up and went to keep running, the sounds of the dragon fight still lively behind you.

Before you could even take a step, something hit you strongly in the chest, knocking all the air out of your lungs. Another thwack of a dragon tail. It sent you flying into a wall, its impact strong.

And then, black.

You didn’t know how long you were asleep. All you knew is that you blinked your eyes open, only to find that you still couldn’t see. Everything was black, your chest hurt like hell, and when you took your first breath, a sharp pain shot up from its right side. As you layed there, on the ground, face cloth lost somewhere in the struggle, you pinched your eyes shut and focused on breathing slow and even, hand naturally clutching the place of injury. You could feel the metal of your chestplate, now dented and digging into you.

“Help,” you whimpered, desperately hoping someone could hear you. But you heard no voices, no footsteps, and the sound of the dragon fight was long gone.

How long has it been?

Clenching your teeth, knowing it was going to be a bitch, you shot yourself up, immediately crying out from pain.

But you had to move. So you felt around you, thankfully finding a wall. You leaned against it for support, pulling yourself up, the sharp pain stabbing you from the inside. Sweat poured freely from your body, your forehead utterly slick with it as you just stayed there for a moment, focusing on your breath before you took one step. Two.

“Midoriya,” you tried calling out, the sound of you bouncing down the tunnels, but nothing came back.

What happened to him? To the others? Did they get blocked off from the fight? Crushed by the falling rock? Or did the dragons…?

You swallowed down your agony. You could not dwell over the fate of your poor knight. Not now. Now you had to figure out what to do.

You didn’t know where to go. You couldn’t even see , but you knew you couldn’t stay. Not when a dragon could come by any minute. You remembered, Musouka’s nest was the farthest one on the map. Depending which side you ended up on, you would either be heading towards the exit or heading deeper into the cave, into untrodden territory.

“Fuck,” you groaned, anguished over your predicament.

Sending a quick prayer to the old gods, you began your journey into the darkness, alone. Thankfully, besides your chest and the throbbing bump on your head, you felt fine, so you stumbled your way down, keeping a hand along the wall and your ears open for any sign of life.

You don’t know how long you spent walking, as time seemed endless in the caves. Five minutes could’ve been thirty. Thirty minutes could’ve just been five. The only hint of time you had was the soreness of your feet and the all-over ache of your body.

You wondered what your father would say, if he could see you now. Would he scold you for being stupid? For ever going into a dragon cave to begin with? Would he disown you for ever stepping foot in the Southlands? Perhaps, if things turned more sinister, you would know soon enough.

A sickening crunch halted your thoughts, and you froze, listening.

Let it be a footstep, let it be one of the others .

But then a low growl rumbled through the night, soft and slow, like the creaking of a mill. It crushed your hopes and filled them with terror.

Goosebumps ran up your flesh as your breath quickened. The thrumming pain of your ribs seemed to echo the beat of your heart as you could feel the strong pulse of your blood racing through your veins.

You reached for your sword, but paused.

Only a fool would dare to slay a dragon when they're in the belly of its lair.

And then you could finally see again as the dragon opened its jaw, a dim ball of light starting to brew within it. You could see the outline of its teeth, just as big as the skeleton you saw eons ago. As the fire grew, rumbling deep with the dragon’s throat, more was illuminated for you; the beady eyes staring directly at you, the blue scales glimmering into green.

“You must be Musouka,” was all you were able to say, coming to the conclusion that this was your fate.

The dragon released a sizzling exhale, hot ghastly air steaming out of its nostrils and onto your face and hair. It gave another low rumble, as if agreeing with you.

The rumbling began to crank up, growing louder as the jaw was released more, fire growing brighter as the full, monstrously beautiful face of Musouka was revealed, her fire reflecting in her eyes as she inched closer to you, sharp claws digging through the earth.

Yes, I am Musouka, mother dragon to be, you imagined her saying.

And you are a stranger in my home.

As you closed your eyes, waiting for the inevitable, a soft melody seemed to echo from somewhere beyond. You thought it was a part of your imagination, that your mind was simply conjuring up a sweet, distant mirage before you faced a gruesome death.

But then you felt Musouka cock her head to the side, listening as well. The silkened words grew closer, more present.

When you felt her finally looked away, you opened your eyes, and you were glad you did, because you would’ve never believed it if you hadn’t.

Blonde hair peeked from within the soft glow of his own torch flame, crimson eyes reflecting its ferocity as the Dragon King stepped up, bringing Musouka’s attention fully on him.

He didn’t seem scared as he sang his sweet song. He seemed calm, confident, and strong. He stood his ground as Musouka drew near, and it was like his honeyed words only grew more powerful as she did so.

The blood of the dragon…

The fire in the King’s eyes seemed to match Musouka’s completely, the only proof of the invisible string connecting them. The song was so hypnotic, it felt like it would never end. An endless song of beauty that could never be broken, like the bond between a dragon and its rider.

It is magic. It must be, you thought.

But as endless as the song felt, Musouka suddenly turned her head away from the King and from you. She went up to another deep crack within the wall. She folded her wings and flattened herself before scurrying inside the broken rock, sharp tail slithering away and disappearing with her.

You felt the magic disappear, broken for good, and your senses returned to you as you begrudgingly stood up straight, feeling the throb of your knees, shaking.

You were now alone with the King. A heavy silence passed through the both of you as you worked on regaining your nerve.

“Thank you for that.”

The King grunted, as if it were no big deal. “You okay?”

You found yourself nodding, “Yea-Yes. I’m fine. I think I have a broken rib, but that’s the worst of it. Thank you, again.”

His eyes seemed to wonder over you, checking for himself. They simmered over you head-to-toe, making you shiver under its gravity. Then they lingered over your damaged chestplate.

“Here,” he spoke quietly, moving to undo it for you. You grabbed his torch for him, as he worked to undo the clasps, freeing you from the literal weight on your shoulders as the warmth of his proximity brushed your skin.

Feeling your cheeks flared, you stumbled for a distraction. "H-How did you find me?"

"Told ya', didn't I?" He carefully guided the plate over your head, granting your freedom, as he met your curious eyes. "I know these caves like the back of my hand."

Cheeks flared again once he reminded you.

Of course he knew where to go. He was the Dragon King.

“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, stepping away and taking the torch from you and handing back your chestplate in return.

Before you could even ponder over the lost proximity, he grabbed your free hand and started dragging you away.

He led you through the dark, and feeling just utterly helpless and out of your depth, you let him, putting all of your trust and dependency on the Dragon King as he guided you through the caves, occasionally halting to listen, occasionally pulling you left and right on a random notice.

And perhaps because your mind was tired and numb and you finally felt a sense of safety again, but your thoughts began to wander, fading into faint dreams of the stories you grew up with, of the Blacksmith and the Queen. Perhaps the Blacksmith got lost in the caves the first time around and the Dragon Queen had to rescue him, just like this. You imagined that this was how their friendship was formed, with trust being put into one another and the threat of death waking them up from their ignorant and childish feud. Maybe this was how the idea of the Bridge came to be…

Through the rush of being pulled this way and that, and your mind being lost in its fruitless thoughts, the rustling in your ears came forefront. The sound of the whispering trees bending violently in the wind, their words growing louder…

A broken oath…

A dragon only knows greed…

What do they know of honor …

“Head in the clouds and ears in the trees," your father's voice whispered.

You reached fresh air, and you found yourself gasping for it greatly. The muffledness of your mind faded away, making everything clear the more you breathed. You hardly even noticed Ser Midoriya fretting over you, his mouth moving in frantic motions you couldn’t hear nor decipher. You did however see the tear tracks staining his cheeks.

“She’s got a broken rib,” you heard the King say behind you, his voice low and close. “We should take her to the maester.”

A blanket was pulled over your shoulders, and you realized then that, you two weren’t holding hands anymore as the palm that was once in his now felt cool and naked. You tried to make up for the strange feeling of vulnerability by rubbing your palm against the blanket, willing it to go away.

How silly, you thought. Escaping into dreamland and fretting over his touch while he was just saving you.

“Oi! Dunce Face!”

You turned just in time to see the King grab onto Lord Kaminari, holding him up by the collar. “Why the hell didn’t you ring the bells?!”

“I did Your Grace! I was ringing thrm the whole time!” Kaminari screamed, holding his hands up in front of him in mercy. “Something must’ve happened to the rope.”

It occured to you quickly.

“Katsuko," your voice croaked.

Both Kaminari and the King paused to look at you.

You cleared your throat, speaking again. “It must’ve broken off when he swung his tail.”

Realization dawned on the King’s face, as Kaminari slipped away from his grasp, retreating.

"Did… did you at least get any blackstone?" The lord asked hopefully.

You looked towards everyone you went into the caves with.

Midoriya looked down, defeated.

Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

And the King… The King looked ready to kill.

You don't know what came over you. Maybe you were coming down from the highs of what happened, maybe you were just overwhelmed with the relief of being alive, or maybe you simply found the irony out of the situation, but you started to laugh; small giggles that bubbled out of your mouth soon became full-on laughter that hurt to do, but broken ribbed be damned. You couldn’t help it and you certainly couldn't stop it.

Everybody stared at you, not sure of what to do or how to read your reaction.

You finally calmed down, wiping a stray tear from your eye. "Well, Your Grace. If you wanted to prove the value of your people's work, you needn’t go to such extremes.”

The King simply looked at you, dumbfounded by your reaction.

You sighed, feeling tired and ready to go to bed.

“I would've believed you, if you simply told me,” you told him quietly, a smile on your face as Ser Midoriya guided you to one of the tents.

“Wait.”

You stopped and looked back, waiting for the King to say what he needed to.

“How’d you know to wear it?” He looked down at the chestplate, which was now in Midoriya’s grasp.

You looked at it briefly for a moment, the fox that was now covered in soot. Unsure of what to say, you looked back up at Midoriya, seeing the look of warning in his eye, his words from before coming into mind.

" If you ask about it, he'll deny it, m'lady. Kachaan thinks it makes him look superstitious…"

You looked back up at the King, and shrugged innocently.

“Just instinct, Your Grace.”

#bakugou x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou katuski x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugo x you #bakugo x reader #bakugou angst #bakugou romance #bakugou x y/n #bakugou katsuki x you #catduet writes

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